The Bloodied Rose
by TheRoman987
Summary: Ruby ran away from Beacon. She was simply too good, and was resented for it. But where did she go? Who did she meet? Who is the Queen, rising to power in Vale? And who is behind a string of murders and assassinations, the only clue left behind being the sign of a Rose, bathed in blood? Rated T for a violence/a few torture scenes.
1. Chapter 1- The Reaper

**A/N: This is kinda my fourth fanfic, and before you accuse my of copying another, know that I probably haven't read it (I put that same sentence on all of my fics). This is my own salute to Monty Oum, but I don't intend for this to be a wimpy one-shot (no offense). This will be a somewhat long story. Note: Team RWBY will all be wearing the season 2 outfits, expecting Ruby, who will be wearing the season 1 outfit.**

Chapter 1- The Burning Rose

Third Person's POV

Time: A year after "Breach".

"Where could she be?" Weiss asked, "Ruby just disappeared."

"Wherever she is, we _will_ find her." Blake replied.

"Yeah!" Yang said, "We're finding my sister!"

"But she's been gone for a year now." Weiss argued, "Shouldn't she have called us?"

"Weiss!" Yang shouted, "That's my sister! She's out there, and we're going to find her!"

"I want to find Ruby just as much as you do!" Weiss shouted back, "But I'm just saying that she should've called us!"

"Stop fighting. Both of you!" Blake spoke quietly, but forcefully, "We aren't helping our leader, just standing here and fighting."

"Let's go to A Simple Wok." Yang said, "Maybe the shopkeeper saw her."

A few minutes later, they arrived there.

"Have you seen Ruby? Small girl, red hooded clock?" Yang asked desperately, "She might have a scythe?"

"Uh-uh." the shopkeeper shook his head.

"Ugg, where are you, Ruby?" Blake said, "What could you be doing that's more important then training to be a Huntress?"

Line Break

Ruby's POV

I surveyed the scene around me: Bodies were strewn around the street, blood soaking into the ground, and limbs lying haphazardly. The moon watched from above, not safely, though.

The last of the team of dismembered and brutally murdered Huntsman was lying in front of me, crying.

"I-I-I kn-know you!" he said. "Y-you disappeared a year ago. . . Ruby! Ruby Rose!"

He was wearing armor, but it was in shreds after being attacked. He and his team were patrolling this abandoned area of Vale when I dropped behind them. The first died from a bullet in the throat. The second was sliced in half, after trying desperately to fend her off. The third bled out after I chopped off all of his limbs. The fourth lying on the ground in front of me. One of his legs was still there, along with an arm. His other arm was cut away below the shoulder, and the other leg just under the knee.

His aura tried desperately to heal him, but there was too much blood.

"Ruby Rose is gone." I said.

"No she isn't! You wouldn't kill me! I was in my second to last year when you arrived. You were too good! Please don't kill me!" the Hunter pleaded.

"Oh, you're one of them." I said quietly, menace in my voice. Crescent Rose came down, ripping apart his chest. The last thing I did was take out a stamp-like contraption, but with blades in place of the edges.

My hand came down, leaving cuts the shape of a burning rose on the forehead of the Hunter.

I cleaned Crescent Rose on the clothes of the dead Hunters, then turned away. Blood caked my clothes and skin, but I didn't care. I had finally started to get my revenge on those who pushed me out over a year ago.

I turned, starting the long walk back to the building that was currently the headquarters of she who had things to hide: Cinder Fall.

It took thirty minutes, but I got back to the almost drab-looking building. Inside, it looked unremarkable at first too. But then you look around, see shipping containers of Dust, Paladins shifting cargo off of Bullheads, and White Fang members guarding the place. On the other side, the building was divided into living places.

"It is done, my Queen." I declared, kneeling before Cinder Fall.

Cinder's POV

"Well done." I said. Ruby was covered head-to-toe in blood, but her scythe, Crescent Rose, was spotless.

She came one year ago. No longer wanting to be a Huntress, actually vehemently opposed to the idea, she joined my faction, and quickly became one of it's most powerful members. No one knew what happened to her there, but she came to us. She was a weapon, and needed to be controlled. I craved control.

"Rise." I ordered, and Ruby obeyed my orders. The White Fang members gulped nervously, and turned away. Usually, the presence of my assassin was accompanied by many dead bodies.

"The team you sent me after is lying dead in the streets." I could see a gleam in her eye as she continued, "They will not find the bodies until at least the morning."

"You left your sign, my assassin?" I asked her. I didn't need to ask whether it was a brutal death or not. With Ruby, it was just a pleasant side effect.

Ruby nodded, "Everything is in place. Hunters and Huntresses will be flooding the streets there, far away from here."

"Very good." I said, "Clean yourself and rest until I need you again."

"Your wish is my command, my Queen." She turned and strode off.

Roman, standing a ways away from me, made an exclamation of disgust, "That girl gives me the creeps!"

"She should." I replied, "But she will not hurt you unless I order it. Shall we experiment?"

"Ah, no." Roman also turned, and headed towards the White Fang, "Get moving, you animals!"

The White Fang members, who were all staring at my assassin, went back to their work.

"That girl is dangerous." Adam Taurus warned from behind me, "It is only a matter of time before she strains her leash, and only a matter of days after that until it snaps. I would not want to be in the way when it does."

"But _I_ am holding that "leash" and I won't let it go." I stated calmly, "You will remember that, Taurus."

Line Break

Ruby's POV

"How many where there this time?" Mercury asked me, raising an eyebrow.

I growled at him, then continued back to my room.

"Not enough, apparently." Emerald said.

Neo was the next person, and she made a few quick signs in the air, asking how many I killed. I smiled, and signed four in reply. Neo, surprisingly, was just a bit like me, in the way that she liked to play with her prey before killing them.

I showered, washing the blood off my body. My outfit would hang in the closet with other like outfits. I had changed my hood from red to blood-red after it ended up blood-red after every mission.

The water washing over me didn't feel cleansing. It was washing away the blood, but I could feel it still there. And it would be there after the next target my Queen sent me after, and the next.

Redressing in another one of my black and red outfits, I walked out. On my scroll, I checked the news. It was all the usual. My last murder, before the Hunters, was in all the headlines, usually "The Reaper Strikes Again!" or "Another Killing by the Reaper!"

Funny, really. I wondered whether Ozpin had connected the dots, and realized one of his former pupils was doing on a rampage. The other Hunters and Huntresses in training probably hadn't figured it out. They would remember how I used to be, not how I am.

A message on my scroll summoned me back to the jokingly named "throne-room". In reality, it was where Cinder, my Queen, gave orders and met significant people who wished to pledge their allegiance.

"I have your next target." Cinder ordered, "Lisa Lavender, head anchorman of the Vale News Network. Tomorrow."

"Hmm, she got promoted." I murmured, "It will be done, my Queen. Should it be quiet?"

"Whatever you think best, my assassin."

I bowed, then exited the room. On my scroll, I called up the blueprints of the Vale News Network Headquarters. All ground level entrances. Plenty of sightlines, if I wanted to shoot her. I didn't feel like it, though.

Let's see. Through the back exit, elevator upward. Then down to the CCTV room to destroy all the record of the break-in.

Once I had planned my entrance, I lied down in bad and slept.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

My scroll sounded at five o' clock. Let's see, she would do the morning news at eight o' clock am, the afternoon news at three pm, and the evening news at eight pm. Which means I had three hours.

After gathering my cloak, I ran a whetstone down the length of Crescent Rose's blade. It made a shirking sound that I loved even before. Now, I got to hear it a lot more frequently.

The Vale News Network Headquarters were about an hour from where I was now, and I started out at six o' clock, leaving plenty of time.

I ran across the rooftops, the only place of complete solitude. On the street, people would be screaming. There were only a few photos of the "Reaper" out there, but most people had seen at least one of them.

I was lying on the rooftop of a building only ten meters away from the back entrance of the building. The front side may be bustling with activity, but here, it was as still as the grave. Just how I liked it.

My scroll beeped, informing me of the time: Seven fifty. Just enough to time to kill everyone on the way up, and kill her while she was on air. The only thing that would show up on the news was her terrified expression, then the camera would be gone.

I jumped off the building, rolling on the ground, then cut the lock off of the back door. No one was in the hallway, so I walked over to the nearest elevator. A few people there, though. Who all screamed and tried to run. But they were slow. Much, much to slow.

My scythe cut one in half, and I laughed as blood splattered over me. The second was brought down by my kick as he was fleeing. Another stomp ended his life.

The elevator dinged, a normal sound in the macabre scene around me. Dragging the bodies in, I hit the button for the floor my target was on.

The single man there had the same expression of surprise and horror that the ones downstairs did, and was brought down by a bullet. I knew Lavender would be starting the news in one minute. As long as she didn't hear the shot, everything was going according to plan.

The room she was giving the news had no windows, all the better for surprise. I could see the cameraman in the back, while Lavender was prattling on about the murder two days ago.

The door splintered inward as I jumped through it, cutting down the cameraman.

"She's here!" I could hear Lavender scream, "She's here! I'm going to die!"

Yes, you are. I thought grimly, then destroyed the camera. Hopefully, the last few seconds of footage went out.

Lavender was screaming still, for someone, anyone to help her. The first thing I did was cut out her tongue, silencing her.

"Anything to say for yourself?" I asked, "A pity. I was hoping for more screaming."

I separated her fingers from her hand, one after another. A quick slice did the same for her left hand. Her screaming was a choked gurgling as her own blood filled her mouth.

My scythe fell again and again. Next went her left leg, cut off at the hip, then ripped apart her right. Her left arm spiraled off, but I left the right there. Lastly, I made my mark on her neck, then strode out as the gurgling finally ceased.

The elevator was in the same place I left it, wedged open by all three of the bodies. I pulled them inside again, then hit the button for the second floor, where the CCTV monitoring room was. Lucky I did, as the man who was supposed to be monitoring it was running away with a bag full of records. A bullet left him face down on the floor, and the recordings were smashed beyond all repair. The CCTV room was just like any other, with monitors showing every view in the building. When I left, every monitor was cracked, every piece of equipment broken. Every CD of footage from the past month was shattered. No traces. Just like any other mission.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

"I have completed the mission, my Queen." I was back in the "throne-room", back in front of the Queen to be. Soon, she would rule Vale, a true, strong ruler, unlike those bureaucratic councilmen. And I would be by her side, feared by all, exacting my revenge on all who had wronged me.

**A/N: I need to see your reviews on whether I should make it a bit less bloody. It _is_ rated T, but I don't know if this would rate M.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**

_**This story is dedicated to Monty Oum, who passed away three days ago, on February 1, 2015. He was a creative, humorous, and hard-working man. His work was what inspired me to begin writing, and it was a good choice. At thirty-three, he was far too young to die. Thus, this story is dedicated to him. Matt Hullum said it best. "Use your imagination to make the world a better place in any way that you can. If you know Monty like we do, then you know he would certainly be doing that if he were able to." While I don't know if something this horrific would make the world a better place, if one of you enjoyed reading this, then it did. Godspeed, Monty, godspeed.**_


	2. Chapter 2- The Heist

**A/N: Apparently, this story is a lot like another story with a Cinder/Ruby ship. I haven't read that one (or any RWBY fanfiction), but I don't plan to have a Cinder/Ruby ship, and I thought the content was original.**

Chapter 2- The Heist

Ruby's POV

"Then I have a task for you." Cinder whispered, "Roman is capturing another shipment of Dust. This one, though, is heavily guarded."

"Dust, my Queen?" I questioned, "I thought we were done with Dust."

"Do not question your orders." Cinder spoke firmly, "We would have been done, given Roman had not failed me with the train."

"Of course, my Queen." I bowed my head, "It will be done. When?"

"Now."

I turned to see Roman standing in a Bullhead, along with half a dozen White Fang grunts. Next to them, another three Bullheads were waiting, all ready to lift off. I strode over, entering the nearest Bullhead and closing the door.

It was a short flight to a warehouse where they were currently storing shipping containers of Dust.

"Get moving, you mutts!" Roman shouted, slowly walking out of his Bullhead. "Bring back any fond memories, Red?"

"No." I replied, "Chopping off your head might, though."

"Intruder. Identify yourself." said three Atlesian Knights, holding their rifles at the ready.

"Well, _I_ am Roman Torchwick, currently number two on the Vale Police Department's most wanted list. The young lady beside me is currently number one." Roman said, smirking.

"Enough talk." I ordered him, then started shooting. Hacking apart robots just doesn't give the thrill that people do. "You must be getting incompetent if you need _my_ help with this."

"Cinder doesn't trust me to get the job done without either you, the kids, or Taurus looking over my shoulder." Roman scowled.

I just laughed and walked away, looking for something to kill. As luck would have it, two Vale police were also guarding the entrance.

"Hey! Stop!" one of them ordered, but I kept striding forward. I expanded Crescent Rose, then watched as they backed up, terrified.

They both drew gun. Too late though, I thought as I stabbed through one with the hilt of my scythe. Using it as a pole, I jumped up, landing on the policeman. He wasn't dead, but dazed. The first one was gasping, blood pouring from his mouth, then starred up at me as I approached

"Pl-please d-d-don't k-kill me! I-I-I can p-pay you!" he pleaded, "A-anything!"

"Pity." I replied, "Money is no use to me."

I dragged the tip of Crescent Rose down his chest, making a long, but superficial cut down his body. Not enough to kill him, but more than enough to make him bleed. And oh, bleed he did.

My boot came down on his sternum, breaking bones and tearing skin while I ground down harder. With my boot still on his chest, I swung my scythe down again and again, chopping off bits of flesh and bone that went spiraling off.

Now his upper body was entirely red. Sections of skin were completely gone, exposing the muscle and bone underneath. He had stopped screaming long ago, but I didn't stop. Why would I?

An punch in the gut forced more blood down his skin, soaking into what was left of his white shirt. As the last part of my work, I held Crescent Rose so that the main blade was facing away, then swung down. The policeman's skull shattered under the impact, like an egg would after you drop it from a ten-story building. Would a head do the same thing when dropped from that height?

"Red! We're done here!" I heard Roman call. Sad, the other policeman was still alive. I dragged him on-board the Bullhead while he was still unconscious. Everyone looked, but no one risked asking why, and those who thought about it quickly turned away from the two of us.

"Did it work?" I questioned Roman, who was standing next to me.

"Another five containers of Dust." he replied, "I would ask you how your day went, but I can see some result next to you."

"The other one stopped breathing a few minutes ago." I said, "He lasted longer than most. This one, though, I'll take my time with. I think I can keep him alive for a few hours at most."

"Well, you can tell your _Queen_," he made air quotes as he said it, "that the mission was a success. That's what you usually say."

"It is." I said, in no mood for games, "And you will respect my Queen, or one day _you_ will be my task. And you know what happens to my targets. None of them die quickly."

Roman chuckled, grinning, "She won't. Cinder needs me more then she needs you. Killers are a dime a dozen. Criminal masterminds, well, those are a bit more expensive. I'm being paid quite well for my services."

"And those _services_ include being beat-up by a Faunus?" I taunted, "How long did you last? Ten seconds? Twenty?"

"If that Schnee hadn't given her those Dust rounds. . ." Roman muttered.

"Don't worry, Roman." I said, "The Schnee Dust Company is already involved in some shady business. Pretty soon, they'll find us, and either swear their allegiance to my Queen, or start looking for a cleaner that's adept at cleaning up red stains in the carpet."

"I don't suppose you mean ketchup?" Roman asked innocently, before I glared back, "Defiantly ketchup, then."

We landed back in the warehouse without incident. I was the first one off, dragging my new toy behind me.

"Roman has succeeded, my Queen." I bowed to Cinder, the policeman still limp beside me.

"And what is this you brought with you?" Cinder asked softly, "A present for the White Fang?"

"Whatever you wish it to be." I replied, "I had a few _special _things planned for it, but whatever you desire."

"If I tell you to bring it to the Faunus?"

"Then they will have it within the hour."

"Give it to the White Fang, then." Cinder ordered. Well, I'll just have to find someone else to have fun with then,

"Of course, my Queen." I bowed, then dragged it away. On the other side of the warehouse, the White Fang were still offloading cargo.

"A present from the Queen." I said loudly, my voice echoing, "Do with it what you wish."

The White Fang, I knew, would simply beat him to death with fists and boots. Not quite as messy as one of my ends, but still satasfying.

I turned back to Cinder's room, where she usually was. She didn't live in the throneroom. She didn't get any sense of pride by sitting there. It was simply a means to an end.

"My Queen, I request leave for thirty minutes." I said, my head down.

"Of course, my assassin." Cinder replied, "You do not need to ask, just inform me that you are leaving."

"Thank you."

"It is a reward, for your dedication to the cause, and your willingness to do what needs to be done." Cinder responded, "You are far more valuble to me than Roman. Criminals, you find at every street corner, but a skilled assassin. . . those are a far more rare commodity."

I left the room, grateful for the praise, but giving no outward appearance of it. Outside the building, it had started raining, improving my mood even more. It was about two in the afternoon now. Plenty of time to grab an unwitting official, kill whoever it was with, and spend the rest of the evening listetening to his screams.

I was in the residential district of Vale, standing on the rooftops while watching peoples lives go one below. So uneventful. So. . . drab. These were the things I trained to protect. These were the things my sister was still training to safeguard.

_Yang._

Half me wanted to strangle her, the other half wanted to hug her. She was my sister, my hero, my idol. But she didn't look for you. She let you run away, like everyone else. She didn't care about what you saw in Ozpin's office.

I could see her now, walking down below, her long yellow hair swinging from side to side. I thought I imagined it, but then Blake and Weiss followed her.

Not now, I thought desperately, not now. Just get the policeman and get back to Cinder. She will make everything right again.

I jumped across the rooftops, until I saw one just standing there, drinking a cup of coffee. The rest of the street was mostly empty, giving me the perfect opportunity. I was around the corner of the coffeeshop, less then fifteen feet away. Using my Semblance, I darted in, grabbed him, and back to the alleyway, where I slammed him against the wall. He was unconscious now, bleeding from a cut on his forehead.

And things started to go wrong.

"Ruby!" Yang shouted.

"Ruby?" Weiss asked, "I can't see her."

"I saw her for a second." Yang insisted, I could hear the pattering of footsteps as the rest of my team went to investigate. "She went down this alley."

Darnit! I grabbed the policeman's collar with one hand, and shot my scythe with the other. Propelled up to the roof again, I looked down below.

"That was Crescent Rose!"

"Where is she, then?" Weiss said skeptically, "The alley's empty."

"Ruby, where are you?" Yang called, looking to the heavens and finally noticing me, "Ruby! Come down!"

I shook my hooded head and walked away, bringing the man with me.

Line Break

Yang's POV

"Ruby! Sis, come back!" I screamed desperately. I was _so _close!

"What are you waiting for?" I shouted back at the rest of team RWBY, "Let's go!"

We all jumped up our own ways, and took off after the distant red-cloaked figure.

"Why are you running?!" I yelled, "We just want to talk!"

Ruby jumped down from the top of a low building, disappearing. When we got there, she was nowhere to be found. My sister vanished, again.

My hair burst into flames as my Semblance triggered, "I can't lose you again!"

On ground level, it was a confusing mass of roads, twisting and turning. I would take a turn and find myself back where I started. My sister had escaped me again.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

I could see, from a distant rooftop, that Weiss and Blake were pulling Yang to her feet, from where she fell on her knees, crying.

_She abandoned you just like everyone else. She didn't look for you. Cinder told you so._

Reassured, I turned back in the direction of the warehouse/home.

It took me another fifteen minutes of dragging the guy for me to get back, barely making the time I set.

From there, I headed back to my room. I was never very welcoming in the best of times, but now everybody I met backed away from me.

The policeman was strapped to the wall, still unconscious as I walked back to my Queen.

"Tell me why I'm fighting." I pleaded Cinder.

"I have not told you for a long time." her gaze seemed to pierce me, looking into me, "You are fighting for me. For the future. When I rise as Queen, everything will become clear to you. The Faunus will be accepted, the White Fang disbanded. I will usher a new age of peace and prosperity."

"Thank you, my Queen." I said, tears flowing from my eyes as I went back to the strapped policeman. Her words brought comfort, as always,

I grabbed a knife from near my bed, and made the first of many cuts. Long, yellow hair. Another cut. Pulling me in a wagon. This time, the policeman woke and started screaming. Helping me though Signal. A deeper cut, the blood flowing over my handsm soaking into my sleeves.

I pushed the images out of my mind, and dug the knife in deep. His Aura flared, trying to heal the wound. After another stab, his Aura flickered and died.

_Now_ the fun can begin.

**A/N: Ishkahrhil told me the story is called A Burning Rose. I'm debating whether to read it yet, as I may see ideas I thought were mine in his story.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	3. Chapter 3- Mission Assignment

**A/N: I've decided to try updating my stories every other day: _The Bloodied Rose_ one day and _The Golden-Eyed Swordsman_ the next. Oh, I decided to read the story, and am making several changes to things I planned. For example, Cinder won't refer to Ruby as "my assassin", but Ruby will still call Cinder Queen.**

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, nor any of it's content. It all belongs to Roosterteeth.

Chapter 3- Mission Assignment

Ruby's POV

The policeman was gasping as I made the first cut, a straight line from his left shoulder, all the way down his arm and up the middle finger. Immediately, blood started welling up out of the wound, coloring his arm red.

The policeman gasped, crying from the pain. I made a circle on his right hand with the knife, then carved my way up his forearm. Once I reached his armpit, I thrust the knife in, then left it there.

There were other knives in the drawer, many more, so I took another out. This one had a cruel hook at one end, perfect for creating ugly wounds that would rip up skin.

I dug the hook end into his thigh, and he managed to scream even louder. Yanking the knife to the side, it ripped a chuck of skin out, spiraling off to the side.

Using the edge of the knife this time, I cut into the space between the fingernail and skin, then ripped the nail completely off his thumb. The treatment continued down all of his fingers, until I had ten fingernails in the palm of my hand.

His boots were ripped off, and I cut off the bid toe on each foot, then stuck it in his mouth. The policeman automatically bit down on it, then spit it out and screamed with a new intensity. It landed on my face, which I decided to take particular offence at, and attacked his chest with my knife.

Maybe fifteen minutes later, I stepped back, seeing what I did. Two lines met over his stomach, forming a wide V. They curled upwards, forming into flames, along with two other groups of cuts. I realized what I'd cut into his chest: Yang's symbol. In red.

The blood was soaking into his shirt, what wasn't covered already. Some of that blood had gotten onto my face, dripping from his chest.

"No. . ." I trailed off, "Not Yang. She was just like the rest of them. Cinder is right."

I stabbed the policeman, who fell unconscious a long time ago, through the eye and into the brain. Killing him instantly. I needed to clean this up now. . . .

I gathered all the sections of skin, fingernails, fingers, and toes that I cut off, then stuck them into his pockets and mouth.

Dragging the body behind me, I left the building and climbed to the roof, heading for the residential district. One I had found I crowd, I quickly cut the head off, then dropped the body into the middle of them. The scream, shouting, and calls for the police started immediately. Lastly, I tossed the head off, discovering that indeed, a head exploded just like an egg if thrown off of a building.

I spun, my cloak cutting through the air behind me, and started the walk back to base. Nothing would distract me from this now. Not Blake, not Weiss, not. . . . Yang.

Line Break

Yang's POV

"I can't believe she got away!" Weiss said.

"Ruby's Semblance is speed." Blake replied, "If she wanted to run, we would never catch her. I'm more surprised she ran. She's our leader. She should be by our side."

"Would all second year students please report to the amphitheater for assignments." a voice said over the PA system.

"We can keep looking for her after." Blake assured me, pulling me up.

Together, we walked to the amphitheater, where Ozpin was giving a short speech.

"The Vytal Festival is a symbol of the peace and unity that has allowed the kingdoms of Remnant to survive and flourish for decades. This unity was won from a long and devastating war, fought for the way of life that we uphold. The freedom to express oneself, the freedom to create, the freedom to be different. These all were things oppressed before the people rose up to fight." Ozpin spoke, "It was a bitterly fought war, as the people would not submit into the suppression from which they came. They did not fight for themselves, they did not fight for each other. They fought for the future generations, that have all led to you. Thanks to their sacrifices and heartbreak, Remnant is at peace, prospering and bustling with humanity. While they celebrate, we must safeguard the peace our ancestors brought. Last year, you all shadowed a Huntsmen, completing tasks to protect these kingdoms. Now, you will be going out alone, to aid the kingdom and uphold the peace that is vital to it's survival. All of you are skilled, smart, and capable of the task before you. I will not accept anything less then your best effort in fulfilling that task. Good luck, to all of you."

Screens started appearing off to each side of the podium, showing the different assignments around the kingdoms.

"Where do we go now?" Blake asked, "It's not like we know where another hidden base is."

"I have a task in mind for you, team RWBY." Ozpin said from behind us.

"It's not even team RWBY anymore." I muttered bitterly, "Now it's just team WBY."

"That may be so." Ozpin acknowledged, "But I have a specific assignment for you. Have any of you heard of the "Reaper?"

"He's a murderer and a criminal." I replied, "Kicked Roman Torchwick off of the most wanted space on the list."

"Then you have never seen a picture of the person." Ozpin deduced, then held up his scroll.

On it was a picture of a young woman, in her mid-teens, holding a scythe. She had a red cape with a hood on, and wore black underneath. There was a rose emblem hanging from her belt. Her face was contorted into an expression I had never seen before in her. It was my sister. And she was covered in blood.

"NO!" I cried, "Ruby. . . . what happened to you?"

Weiss and Blake both had shocked expressions, but didn't say anything.

Ozpin spoke gently, "I would like to assign you to track her down. You might be able to convince her to come back. If anyone else tries to chase her. . . . .they might end up dead. Or Ruby might. You could bring back the Ruby Rose you knew and loved."

"I will." I said fiercely.

"I knew you would." Ozpin replied, "But Ruby is very skilled with Crescent Rose. While I know this year, most teams are going out alone, you are under-strength. I am also asking Qrow to accompany you and guarantee your protection."

I nodded glumly. Ruby loved Qrow almost as much as she loved me. The two of us could talk to her.

"What are we waiting for?" Blake said, "Let's go!"

"Not quite so fast, Miss Belladonna." Ozpin replied, "You must go to Signal Academy, and meet Qrow there. Then the tracking can begin."

"We won't fail." Blake walked off, leading us toward the door.

"Why would she do that to herself?" I cried, "What would change my sister like that?"

"I don't know." Weiss answered, "But we _have_ to stop her."

"What if we can't?" Blake asked, "Ruby never gives up. That's what's gotten us so far. She was always pushing us, always cheerful and upbeat. What if we can't convince her to come back?"

"We will." I vowed, "I'm getting my sister back."

Line Break

Yang's POV

"Signal's just over here." I said, turning the corner, just in time to bump into Qrow.

"Steady there, niece." he took my arms, then hugged me, "I'm so sorry about what happened to Ruby."

I cried again, into his shoulder while he held my tightly.

"Before we start off, I need to show you something." Qrow told me after we separated, then pulled out his scroll.

On it was another chilling sight. The body only of someone lying on a table. I could see lines of cuts up both arms, fingernails and fingers missing, toes gone. But on his abdomen was what scared me the most. My symbol was carved into his chest, bloody and red.

"Did Ruby. . . . ?" My voice trailed off.

"Yes. The body, and soon after, it's head, was thrown from the top of the building into a crowd. A few of the people present saw a flash of red and a few rose petals." Qrow replied, "As you know, this is typical of her handiwork now."

"We can get her back, right?" I asked desperately.

"I hope so. I hate to see her like that, doing this. . . . .senseless murdering and torturing." Qrow said. Weiss and Blake were looking on without saying anything, allowing us to talk together.

"What could do this to Ruby?" I questioned Qrow, wishing he had the answer, "What would make her run away?"

"Something big. Something massive beyond all belief. Something that would change her whole view of the world." Qrow answered, "Perhaps something involving Huntsmen. You she thought that by being a Huntsmen, she could be like one of the heroes in the stories. Perhaps something changed that."

"But what?"

"If something was enough to change someone like Ruby's view of the Huntsmen. . . . I don't know." Qrow shook his head, "Ruby's view of Huntsmen was that they were never wrong. That they were the most noble things in the world. If something with the Huntsmen was big enough to change her opinion of them, we should be worrying about that, too. But right now, Yang, I need you to be focused on finding your sister. She has the answers you seek."

"We could see the place where she last was." Weiss suggested, "She might have left something behind."

"Like what?" Blake asked sarcastically, "A big sign saying "Ruby Rose: Three miles in that direction."?"

"No," Weiss argued back, "Just. . . anything."

"Ladies. You aren't helping your leader by standing here and bickering." Qrow said, "Let's go with Weiss' suggestion."

Line Break

Ruby's POV

"What's wrong?" Neo signed to me.

"Nothing." I said, "Well, I don't know. Nothing seems true now. I can't stop thinking about my sister, even though she abandoned me just like everyone else."

"What made you leave?" Neo signed again, "You never told anyone."

"And I still won't." I replied.

Too late though, memories were flashing across my vision.

_Entering Ozpin's office. Empty._

_A scroll, open on his desk_

_A dark, cubical room. A dentist's chair in the middle. Screams of pain, of torture._

I quelled the memories before they went any further. I wasn't here to remember the past. I wasn't here because of that. But wasn't I? Didn't that change my life?

Neo tapped me on the shoulder and signed, "Ruby?"

"I'm fine, Neo." I spoke out loud, "I just need to think."

"There's still blood on your face." Neo signed, then turned and walked away.

I walked back to my room, where I could sit and think. To my surprise, though, Cinder was already there, inspecting the straps I used to hold down the policeman.

"Had fun?" Cinder raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yes, my Queen." I bowed my head to her. "What brings you here?"

"This." She took out a scroll, showing a picture of the policemans body. Yang's symbol, still there. "I thought I told you to give the policeman to the White Fang."

"And I did." I replied, "This was a different person."

"And _that_ symbol?"

I slumped, holding back tears, "I don't know, my Queen. I want to hate her. . . . but she's my sister."

"Your _sister_ did not take action when you disappeared." Cinder's eyes looked like they were calculating me, and she continued, "That is hardly the sister one should have, a sister who would turn her back on her own family."

"You're right, Cinder." I said, "You always are. Yang Xiao Long is _not_ my sister anymore."

My resolve hardened as I remembered those days, the days before Cinder accepted me into her organization.

"Remember why you are fighting, Ruby." Cinder turned to the door, "And remember who."

**A/N: I don't remember anything where Ruby was hesitant to kill Yang in the other story, so I'm putting it here. Be warned, though: There will be a time when Ruby _will_ fight Yang. And Ruby might be too far gone to stop herself.**

**For some reason, I couldn't access my profile (or update) on the seventh, the reason why this chapter's a day late.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	4. Chapter 4- Junior

**A/N: Henchmen are the what I call the guys from Junior's Club, by the way.**

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, nor any of it's content. And I don't think I will anytime soon.

Chapter 4- Junior

Ruby's POV

I sat on my bed for a long time after Cinder left. What would I do if I had to fight the rest of my former team? Kill them? Run? Neither of those felt like particularly good options.

Outside the building, the day was dark and it was raining heavily. I pulled up my hood, then climbed up to the roof, and started jumping from building to building. The people on street level rushed from place to place, usually carrying umbrellas. They didn't look around, didn't check over their shoulders. They completely trusted everyone around them.

I wondered what it would be like, to let your life be taken over by something other than fighting and killing.

Angrily, I shook that thought out of my head. It was a fantasy, and a fantasy that I couldn't have. My life wouldn't be even a shadow of what it is now, and I liked my life how it was now.

I made up my mind, deciding to wait and see what happened if the my former team attacked, then turned back to my current "home". I hadn't gone very far away from it, and so it only took a few minutes.

Inside, it was just the same as I left, with the White Fang still unloading the containers Roman had stolen yesterday. Roman was yelling at them, as usual.

"No, you mutts!" he shouted, "That one goes _here_, this one goes _there_!"

I chuckled, seeing the grunt sigh, and start moving the box again. Roman was never happy with the White Fang. Come to think of it, he was never happy unless he was stealing something, or beating up his enemies.

I couldn't understand the first part, but the second part seemed like second nature to me, killing anyone who was against my Queen.

This was one of the few times I returned _not_ covered in blood, and that made the White Fang goons as nervous as seeing my clothes stained red. No matter what I did, I scared them.

Before I arrived back at the section of the warehouse/building that was converted to rooms, however, I saw Cinder, who walked outside. I frowned, wonder what she could be doing, then trailed her from the rooftops outside.

Cinder had no shortage of enemies, and I didn't know what I would do if she was killed. As far as I could tell, she was just walking for no apparent reason. Until she walked into a dark alley, however. Inside of that alley, there was a man in a black suit, who I recognized from my jaunts into the Vale News Network's building.

It was the CEO of the company, and it looked like a meeting with my Queen. I didn't know which side arranged it, though.

"You came." Cinder said.

"I did." it looked like he was trying to keep calm, but failing miserably, "After that. . . display of force in my headquarters, I couldn't refuse."

"That "display of force" as you call it, can be repeated with a new target. Perhaps a more. . . important member of the company." The man paled even further, breathing quickly.

"That won't be needed." the CEO said quickly, "I have no desire to die."

"Then come here, with any other significant members of your company." Cinder listed off a location that was far from our base.

"About that. . . ." he spoke softly, "I've decided to. . . reconsider my thinking."

Some people who I thought were just walking by rushed into the alley, while other people jumped down from windows facing into the alley. The ones who dropped from the windows wore black suits with red ties: henchmen.

"Instead, I'll just kill you." the CEO smiled, now appearing completely in control, "And you don't have any of your own henchmen nearby. My men guaranteed it. We were following you ever since you entered the residential sector."

Cinder stiffened, watching the men around her. I could see her preparing to activate her Semblance and summon fire.

I jumped down from the top of the building, rolling and bringing up Crescent Rose. The shot blew off one henchman's head, and spun me around, cutting through another. An arm was chopped off from a third, then a leg from yet another henchman.

I saw two smoking corpses on the ground. That still meant two or three enemies still up and fighting.

Spinning, I swung my scythe down on a henchman that was lunging at Cinder. The shaft of Crescent Rose caught him on the shoulder, making him hunch. I fired again, the recoil cutting all the way through him, and embedded the tip of my scythe into the ground. Said recoil then swung me around, spinning me so that my boots smashed into the last henchman's face.

Cinder nodded to me as if she expected me to be there, then turned to the CEO. Most of the henchmen were dead, except for the one I chopped an arm off of, and the one a leg was missing from.

A flame hovered over Cinder's hand as she spoke, "Do not think about options, Mr. Risa. Obey, and you will live. If you do anything that I might judge as threatening, you will have a visit from the young lady behind me. As your blood sinks into the floor, I will talk to the next person in line to head the company. I am sure they would be more than willing to agree."

"Then I can't take him home?" I asked, fiddling with the blade of Crescent Rose, "I'd imagine I could make him last longer then that policeman."

Cinder laughed, "Sorry, but no. It will be easier if he is alive. For now, at least."

"Of course, my Queen." I bowed deeply to her, before turning to the two henchmen who weren't dead, and grabbing them by their collars.

In the meantime, Risa had looked even paler as Cinder stepped forward. He scrambled away, until he reached the back wall of the alley. Now, instead of having Cinder trapped against the wall, he was.

"Now, Risa." Cinder threatened, "Did you understand me, or do I have to leave a permanent record of our encounter? One that the current most wanted in Vale would be more than happy to provide?"

I nodded, focusing my gaze in the CEO again, "No, no, no. I'll do as you ask!"

"I do not ask, Risa." Cinder informed him, "I command, and they obey. If they do not. . . . . the Reaper kept the last traitor alive for more than twelve hours. It wasn't a clean death, as you might imagine."

At that, Risa fainted, falling to the floor. I chuckled, then turned away, dragging the two live henchmen behind me.

"Thank you, Ruby." Cinder said softly, "Your services have again proven themselves quite invaluable."

"No one will touch you without your permission, my Queen." I replied, bowing my head, "I can't let you die."

"And I know you won't." Cinder affirmed, then walked out the front of the alley.

I shot myself up to the top of the building, still dragging the guys. Cinder was walking along below me, acting as if nothing had happened. I was constantly looking around for the rest of the trip, scanning the streets for any threats to my Queen. None appeared.

After Cinder entered the warehouse/base, I kept watch for a couple more minutes, ensuring we weren't followed. No one was in sight, so I jumped down, still with my two new toys, who were trying to get up before I knocked them unconscious.

I walked in after my Queen and over to my room, where I strapped the one with two arms in, then tied the one with one arm to a small loop in the wall.

"I'm going to ask one of those a few questions." Cinder spoke from behind me.

Wordlessly, I untied the one with a single arm from the wall, then turned, "Should I be present?"

Cinder nodded, "If your presence is not enough to scare him into talking, then you could persuade him in other ways."

With that, she walked out the door. I followed, carrying the body, until we reached a next-to-empty room. The only thing in there was a table and two chairs. Fortunately, I had brought a few of my knives.

"Wake him up." Cinder ordered. I punched him in the gut, hard, making him gasp and wake up.

"Wh-what? Where?" he groaned, completely disoriented, before his gaze focused on me. He gasped, then fell silent.

"Where did he hire you from?" Cinder started.

"Why should I tell you?" the henchman asked gruffly.

Cinder sighed, "The more questions you answer, the quicker I'll make your death. If you refuse to answer, I think my associate here could torture you for a long, long, time."

To accent her point, I unsheathed a knife and started twirling it.

His eyes followed my knife, then gulped. He knew what I had done in the past, doubtless from the news reports.

"Now, where did Risa hire you from?" Cinder repeated.

"Junior!" he said quickly, "Junior's club."

"Good." Cinder replied, "Why did he hire you?"

"He said he just wanted to kill someone!"

"Hmm, Did you know _who_ you were trying to kill?"

"N-no." his gaze dropped, "No questions asked."

"Did he come in person?"

"Yeah."

"How much did he pay?"

"Triple. Junior though it was odd, but. . . " he shrugged.

"Ruby?" Cinder prompted, "You will have to content yourself with the other one."

I nodded, then walked over to the henchman. He tired to hold up his one hand to block the knife, but I knocked his hand aside, then plunged the knife into his chest.

"Go to Junior's nightclub." Cinder ordered, brushing herself off, "Leave him alive, though."

"Of course, my Queen." I bowed my head, then grabbed the henchman and started dragging him away. Junior's club was at the edge of the residential sector, only about fifteen minutes from here the way I traveled. Night was about to arrive, but I still had another hour before it opened.

The two heavy gray doors were closed, but not locked. I opened them, keeping myself out of view, then tossed the body in.

I could hear surprised noises, and a single scream. Walking in myself, I could see the body had knocked over another guy in a black suit and red sunglasses.

There was thirf henchman standing there, shocked. I walked right past him, and over to the bar.

"Who are you?" Junior demanded roughly, then recognition came over his face. "Get rid of her!"

Melaine, the girl in blue with the bladed heels, ran up. She tried to kick for my face, but I caught her leg, and twisted. She spun around in the air, landing on her feet next to Miltia, the one with claws.

Miltia lunged forward, slicing while Melaine jumped high, her blades slicing at me. I rolled backwards, expanding Crescent Rose. Miltia came forward with her claws again, but I had much more reach, and forced her to jump backwards. Melaine took her place, but I caught her heels on the shaft of Crescent Rose, then slammed downward.

Melaine hit the floor, cracking it. Miltia tried to attack, but I flipped over her, and landed right next to Melaine. I kicked Melaine in the jaw, knocking her unconscious before turning to Miltia. Dodging away from her claws, I shot Crescent Rose. It spun me around, and the less bladed side of Crescent Rose flew through the air until it hit Miltia, removing her from the fight.

The henchmen backed up, slowly, while Junior looked nervous.

"I heard you hired out some of your men to Risa." I threatened, "I would advise you think a bit harder before lending your henchmen out in the future. Or you may not have any left. But that won't be any problem to someone whose head would be lying in the streets."

With that, I spun towards the door. A henchman stood in my way with a sword, and tried to swing at me. I left his body in two pieces, leaving them behind. As I reached the door, I turned. There was still something I needed to say.

"I have one of your men, Junior." I said, "And I think I can torture him for most of the night before he loses to much blood. Do not cross the people I work for."

To prove my point, I shifted Crescent Rose back into rifle form, then shot Melaine through the chest. I could see it was a lethal wound, leaving Militia without a sister. Sweeping my cloak around, I strode out the door and into the night.

**A/N: Yes, Melaine is dead. I chose her because it would leave Miltia, who's colors are black and red, alone. Ruby, whose colors are _also_ black and red, doesn't have her sister anymore either.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	5. Chapter 5- The Plot Thickens

**A/N: I'm going to say this again: I had no idea the other story existed. Once Ishkahrhil told me, I looked at it. Now I'm changing the events so that it's a different story. Other than the fact that Cinder is the "Queen" and Ruby is a brutal killer, the two stories don't have much alike. I don't set the rating to M when I look for fics most of the time.**

Disclaimer: RWBY isn't my content, it all belongs to Roosterteeth.

Chapter 5- The Plot Thickens

Ruby's POV

"Junior won't be hiring out his men against us anymore." I said, in front of Cinder. We were in the throneroom, and so I knelt.

It was all appearances. In this room, I would bow, kneel, and be completely under her control. Outside this room, I wouldn't bow or kneel, but I would still be under her control. If we had special guests, there would be no question about who I served, and everyone would know the threats Cinder could carry out.

"Good." Cinder replied, "You may return to your room, and play with your new. . . pet."

I nodded, still keeping my head lowered, until I turned away. Then my head came up and I left the room, turning to the right.

The henchman was awake, pulling at the straps and trying to get free.

"Don't try to escape yet." I warned, "I can have _so_ much_ fun_ with you."

I drew my knife, making the henchman tug even harder. This knife was driven through his right hand and into the wall behind it, pinning it in place. The beautiful sound of his screams were filling my ears, making me smile for the first time today.

Line Break

Yang's POV

"Huntsmen! Thank the ancestors!" A man who I didn't recognize, who was wearing a suit and tie, ran up, "The Reaper attacked me!"

"Where?!" I demanded.

"What happened, CEO Risa?" Qrow asked calmly. The name hit me, the CEO of the Vale News Network.

"She and a bunch of guys with red ties and black suits cornered me in an alley!" Risa looked pale and shaken, "They turned on her and attacked her! I was knocked down, and played dead. She just walked away!"

"Where was this?" Qrow continued speaking.

"About three blocks down, in a blind alley." Risa looked calmer now too, and I started sprinting away.

"Just go back to your home. We'll take care of this." Qrow assured him, before following me. It took a little more than a minute to get there, and I gasped.

There were five bodies lying in the alley. All of them were henchmen from Junior's club.

"Something doesn't quite add up here." Qrow muttered, walking around, "See? Look here."

He pointed to two bodies, both badly burned. "Ruby doesn't use Dust like that."

"Come up here." Blake had jumped off of her Semblance to the top of the fence. I followed, using the Ember Celica to give myself a boost.

"What is it?"

Blake gestured with her finger, "It looks like they had someone surrounded. But that circle's to big for just five people, or even six if you count Ruby."

"There's an arm and a leg here that don't belong to anybody." Qrow called. He was right.

"So where did he go?" I wondered aloud. No one had an answer.

The police arrived a few minutes later, and gave us some more information. Apparently, the henchman had surrounded someone, while another one was near the back wall of the alley. There was no remains of Dust here, so whoever burned them must've had that kind of Semblance.

That sounded like the woman Ruby told me about, the one Mrs. Goodwitch fought the day she and Ruby met. Some of them were definitely sliced up, though, but it could've been a sword or an axe carried by one of the henchmen. Lastly, there were two trails of blood that led a short way, then stopped without a body at the end.

"Was Ruby here?" I asked Qrow.

Qrow shook his head, "I don't know. From her recent behavior, Risa shouldn't have gotten away. I'd say he was just about to get mugged or kidnapped when the henchmen turned on each other. The one missing an arm could've helped the other get away."

"Why say my sister _was_ here, then?"

"Protection." Weiss stated from behind me, "He knew if he said that the "Reaper" was here, we'd put more effort into keeping him safe then if he was just going to be robbed."

I groaned, then turned away with my head down.

"Don't worry, Yang." Qrow said, hugging me, "We'll find my niece."

"But where would she _be_?" Weiss pointed out, "We've been looking for a _year_."

"This isn't about being team leader!" Blake's usually calm voice cut across Weiss'. "This is about _Ruby_."

"For the record, I stopped thinking I should be the leader a _long_ time ago." Weiss shot back, "I'm just trying to point out _reality_."

"The reality," Qrow spoke slowly and deliberately, "is that we're going to find Ruby. And your going to either stop talking like that, or get out."

Weiss looked offended, but kept her words to herself.

"We should get back to looking for her." Blake stated softly, "We aren't doing any good by standing here."

"Blake is right." Qrow seconded.

"Maybe we could try back where we lost her?" Weiss suggested halfheartedly.

"No." Qrow said, "Go back to Beacon and rest. We can continue after we've had a good night's sleep."

With that, we turned back in the direction of Beacon while Qrow headed to Signal. It was going to be another long night of worrying.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

I watched the man screaming in front of me. One eye was missing entirely, the other one cut open. The flesh parts of his cheeks were cut all the way through. On his chest, I had cut and peeled back some of the skin there, exposing muscle and bone underneath. Most of his fingers were gone, except for the pinky on his right hand and the thumb on his left. I had cut off his feet after removing the toes, and he was bleeding from the stumps onto the floor.

It was surprising he was still conscious after all that.

"Hmm, what should I do next?" I wondered allowed, then thrust the knife into the fleshy part of the upper arm. I yanked downward, opening a large tear there, all the way through the muscle. Reaching in, I grabbed the bone there and jerked. The bone was pulled out of the arm itself, causing even more blood to cover my hands and sleeves.

It wasn't anything new, though. Most of my outfit and face was covered in blood, but I didn't mind. Some part of me enjoyed it. Flipping my red-stained knife in my hand, I debated where to cut next. I made up my mind, the reached my knife inside his mouth and cut out his tongue.

His screams turned into choked gurgles and blood filled his mouth and throat. It was a lot less fun without the screams, though, so I decided to end it. I plunged my knife into his stomach, sawing it from side to side. This created a huge, jagged tear in his abdomen which blood flooded out of, completely soaking my sleeves and staining the rest of my clothes.

After a few seconds, though, he slumped. No more reactions. The henchman was dead. I cleaned my knifes on the small portions of his suit that weren't covered in blood, then replaced them in the drawer. Lying back on my bed, I fell asleep with the corpse of the henchman still strapped to the wall.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

Something wasn't right. I knew that as soon as I woke up. Something just seemed off. It felt too quite, but then again I was used to it during the daytime.

My current outfit was still awash with blood, but Crescent Rose, of course, was spotless when I sheathed it. The hallway outside was empty, and so was the throne room. Outside, the moon was shining above me. It was almost four o' clock, and it was silent outside. This sector of the city was abandoned, so it didn't get noisy at all.

It still felt off, though. After ensuring that no one was watching the building, I walked back inside. Our base felt completely silent, but I could hear something. Closing in on the sound, it gradually became a conversation that led to Cinder's room.

"Interesting." Cinder said, "Keep me informed."

I couldn't hear the response, but it wasn't my business. Whatever my Queen was doing, it wouldn't be good to ask.

It was a little after four o' clock, so I went back to my room, and sat on my bed. The henchman was still slumped there, like a scarecrow. I stayed awake then, until my alarm signaled it was six. Some people also woke up as early as I did, and they called out greetings to each other while I walked on by. No one greeted me, and I was happy with it staying that way.

"Ruby." Cinder spoke from behind me, "There have been some developments at Beacon."

"What is it?" I growled. Whenever Beacon was mentioned, being around me was a dangerous place. Unless, of course, Cinder was there.

"Ozpin has sent the rest of team RWBY to find you, along with Qrow." Cinder didn't say _your former team_, or _your uncle Qrow_, which was very welcome, "He is keeping it secret from the other students and law enforcement, but I have a few friends within Beacon."

I nodded in response, "What are your orders?"

"If they become a nuisance, kill them all." Cinder commanded, "But do not seek them out actively."

"Of course, my Queen." I bowed. I couldn't argue with killing them, I could only agree.

Before I left, my scroll vibrated and I checked it. It was breaking news, showing four corpses in the middle of a street. Limbs were thrown everywhere, along with fingers and toes. Blood caked the street and clothes of the huntsmen that I had killed two days ago. They found the huntsmen later than I thought.

"So, they discovered another one of your more recent slaughters?" Cinder raised an eyebrow.

"Yep."

"Hmm. Now, those who already chase you will be under even greater pressure." Cinder informed me, "Be on your guard. Soon, they will be desperate."

"Then what?" I asked, seeking more instruction.

"Then we will have to remove the threat." I nodded, then turned down the hallway again. The blood on my clothes was dry now, but I didn't bother cleaning it or changing clothes.

I passed Emerald and Mercury, who were arguing as usual, then started to look for Adam Taurus. After several minutes, I found him looking at the White Fang grunts work.

"Why are they still listening to us?" I questioned him.

Adam looked at me, the mask he wore covering most of his face, "We blamed the failure of the train entirely on Roman. Now, they see Cinder does not trust him to carry out an operation alone. The White Fang do not punish failure with death, Ruby. That is a _human_ action."

"Noted, then. Why do you listen to my Queen, then?"

"_Your_ Queen," he put emphasis on the word your, "has promised the Faunus that they will have the ability to punish all who have acted against the Faunus. In addition, Cinder has the plans we need. Now, we have a focus, and can be coordinated instead of just randomly attacking shops."

That sounded much like what Cinder had promised me: A chance to bring have revenge on those who wronged us, and a purpose in life that I had lacked after I ran away from Beacon.

My mind drifted back to that time before I could stop it. . . .

_A scroll on Ozpin's desk, showing a gray room with a dentist's chair._

_Penny, strapped down on it. She was screaming, and I couldn't believe what I saw next._

_If Ozpin knew. . . . why didn't he put a stop to this?_

**A/N: I'll keep putting little flashbacks like that in more chapters, and it isn't just because Ozpin _didn't_ do anything that Ruby ran away (if any of you understood that.)**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	6. Chapter 6- The Guests

**A/N: I have to concentrate on my other currently active for a while, as it is at a part where I want to update quickly. This story'll have it's times too, so don't worry. I probably won't be updating for a while.**

Chapter 6- The "Guests"

Ruby's POV

"Ruby?" Adam shook my shoulder, bringing me back to the present, "What was that?"

"Nothing." I muttered.

"Nothing? You were motionless there for at least a minute. You stopped." Adam said. I'd have to watch out for that in the future.

"Don't argue with me." I replied, and drew Crescent Rose in rifle form, "I have a friend that can make a very strong argument."

Adam chuckled, "You don't scare me like you do everyone else. So don't try."

I glared at him, then buried my fist in his gut. Instead of doubling over, he laughed, "Is that the best you can do? Stop trying to hit me and hit me!"

Growling, I turned away and started back to my room. Then was stopped by a text on my scroll.

It said: Come to the throne room. I have a mission for you. -C

The door to the throne room was only a few feet away, so I walked in to see Cinder waiting in the middle. I knelt, as that was the rule in the throne room.

"My Queen?"

"Gather six of the White Fang." Cinder ordered, "Our soon-to-be guests have arrived."

I turned, not knowing what she meant by that, and walked quickly to the other side of the building. They were unloading yet another Bullhead, the product of a successful raid.

"You, you, you, you, you, and you." I pointed to six of the bigger ones, "Come with me."

I turned to the door, them behind me, and saw Cinder already at the entrance. When we arrived, she turned and walked out. Without a question, we followed her.

"We're going here." Cinder listed street corners, and I nodded. It was the same location she said to the CEO, Risa. "Get up high and see if it's a trap."

"And if it is?"

"Remove anyone you deem necessary."

I nodded, and used Crescent Rose to give me a boost up the side of the house next to us. We were going to be in the abandoned portion of Vale for the whole walk, so there was no chance of anyone seeing us. Unless they just happened to wander here, in which case I would kill them.

There was nothing on the rooftops, they were just as empty as I liked them. Cinder and the six White Fang grunts were walking below, Cinder at the lead. The road ahead of them was empty as well, safe for the moment.

Our destination was getting close now, only a few blocks away now. I looked around with new vigilance, trying to see a trap before it happened.

Meanwhile, the six grunts climbed there way up to me.

The most senior of them addressed me, "Cinder wants us to jump down on anyone Risa brought here, and knock them out. Risa included."

I nodded, and we were at the corner. This an intersection, with open space all around. The bad thing was, there were plenty of places someone could be hiding.

Risa and four others stood there, glancing around nervously. There were two men and two woman there, but no "escorts".

"So, you came." Cinder said, approaching them.

"It was this or death." Risa replied, trying to put confidence into his words, but failed miserably.

"I was rather hoping you'd chose death." replied Cinder, who was completely confidant.

Across the intersection, I saw a hatch open, and someone in complete black climb out. He was and idiot: Why wear black if you were going to be standing on a red roof in broad daylight?

I raised Crescent Rose, in rifle form, and lined up the shot. He hadn't noticed us, and took out a long rifle. Much longer than someone would need at this range.

Centering my shot a little right of the middle of his chest, I fired. He jerked, and fell backwards, the crack of the gunshot echoing across the empty intersection.

Risa looked surprised, as if expecting to see Cinder fall, but she didn't.

"That would be your plan failing. You just don't know when to stop, do you?" Cinder asked, then gestured with one hand.

The grunts behind me were apparently expecting that, and dropped down. Quickly, they punched the five businessmen in the jaw, knocking them out cold.

"Pick them up. We're heading back." commanded Cinder, then she turned away.

The trip back was uneventful, no other tricks or surprises making themselves known. I rejoined them in front of the door, bowing my head to Cinder.

"We weren't followed." I said, "It worked."

"Good. Join me in the throne room." Cinder ordered. I followed her in. We all walked to said throneroom, where the grunts deposited the five unconscious businessmen.

Cinder sent a few messages, and people started to walk in. Roman, Adam, the White Fang Lieutenant, Emerald, Mercury, Neo, and most of Cinder's aides.

Once we all went to the sides of her throne, and arragned our five "guests" in front, Cinder spoke.

"Wake them, Neopolitan."

Neo walked over, and with her parasol, stabbed them several times. They jerked awake, standing up before looking around. If they looked nervous before, they were absolutely terrified now.

I was standing at the right side of Cinder's throne, Adam on the left. Once the businessmen saw me, they turned white.

"You dared attack _me_?" Cinder looked furious, but I could tell she wasn't nearly as angry as she sounded.

At this, one of the men actually fainted, falling to the ground in a heap.

Cinder gestured to one of her aides, who were actually just people who she tasked to do things that didn't require fighting. "Remove him."

He quickly dragged the fainted man out the front door, leaving the four other people still standing.

"Now, what am I going to do with you?" Cinder wondered aloud, and I stepped forward.

"I could always take them." It was all part of a formula for meetings. I would threaten them given any opportunity, and Cinder would hold me back, showcasing her complete control the most wanted person in Vale.

"No, no one here." Cinder replied, "Maybe Risa, actually."

Risa turned even paler, "Please don't! Please!"

Cinder laughed aloud, "I won't give you to her. Yet. It all depends on how cooperative you are."

Risa swallowed, "I'll do anything! Anything you want!"

"Do you even realize what you are promising?" Cinder asked, "But you would already do anything I want. You are mine now. Your company is mine. Everything you thought you had is mine."

"What? You can't-" Risa protested.

Cinder sighed and looked at me, "If you would?"

I extended Crescent Rose, spinning it around me before knocking him on the head. Not enough to kill him, but he was also lying on the ground. Another aide dragged him out too, leaving us with the two woman and the last man.

"Now, how about you two?" Cinder questioned. The remaining three looked like they were about to faint.

"The company is yours!" One of the woman rushed out.

"Good. Soon, I will rule Vale, and you will all back me." Cinder spoke loudly, doing her best to seem like an imperious ruler, when we all knew she wasn't like that. "You will have one of the others returned to you. I will give my . . . assassin here the other one. I'm sure she'll enjoy it."

The woman looked shocked, "Umm-."

Cinder made another gesture with her hands, and a few White Fang grunts snuck up behind them an injected them with a sedative. They crumpled, and those same grunts took them out of the room.

"Which one will I get?" I asked Cinder.

"Risa. See if you can break your record." Cinder stood up, then turned, "Record the entire session, then send it to the other four. I'm sure they would appreciate a reminder of what happens to those who try to trick me."

I bowed to her, then left the room. Working quickly, I moved the instruments I used to an empty room, along with a table that had straps. Next, I took Risa from the aide and dragged him, still out, to the room. Strapping him to the table, I set up a camera that could see most of the room, and a light to shine on his body.

Everything was ready to begin.

Line Break

Yang's POV

"I just realized something." Qrow said, looking almost happy.

I was still in the dumps, feeling slow and tired, "What?"

"It's St. Valentine's Day." Qrow chuckled, and I frowned, realizing it was indeed St. Valentine's Day.

"Got a special someone?" I asked, teasing him, but with little spirit.

"You know I'm a bachelor for life, niece." Qrow replied, "I have something that'll cheer you up."

I snorted, "Good luck."

He pulled out two little slips of paper, "I got us tickets."

"How?" I demanded, "The Achieve-Men's next concert's sold out!"

"I'm just good." he said, but couldn't keep a straight face, "I got them a while ago, but I was saving them for St. Valentines Day. Love doesn't have to be romantic, after all. And now it's only a week away. I knew you couldn't get any tickets, so I got some."

I hugged him as hard as I could, "Thank you _so_ much!"

Qrow hugged back, "Can you let me go? I can't breathe."

I was actually happy now, the first time in at least a week. Blake was off with Sun doing something, and Weiss was with Neptune. I didn't have a boyfriend, obviously.

Qrow and I were wandering around Vale, still looking for Ruby, but also having a good time. Or, at least, Qrow was, and he was trying to cheer me up.

"Do you want to swing by A Simple Wok and ask the shopkeeper? It's right over there." Qrow asked.

"You mean it would be a simple walk to A Simple Wok?" I replied, chuckling.

Qrow paused, then punched me in the arm, "You know, I should really stop giving you those openings."

"Sorry, but I just can't resist." I smiled.

"See?" Qrow said, "I can cheer you up!"

I groaned, then we turned to A Simple Wok, where the shopkeeper was waiting.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

"Wh-where am I?" Risa blinked awake, then shut his eyes against the light I had set up.

"You aren't with your ancestors yet." I spoke softly, "But you will be, maybe in half a day."

"Is that. . ." he trailed off before becoming very, _ver_y_, _pale.

"Yes, it is." I replied, "Cinder, my Queen, has told me to keep you alive for as long as possible while torturing you. My record is around thirteen hours. Think we can beat it?"

He started babbling, saying he had a wife and kids. In all, a lot less entertaining then the screams to come. I first took out a scalpel, and made a cut down the fleshy parts of his thumbs. And the screams started coming.

I then took out bleach, and put a finger on either side of the cut. Stretching it open, I poured bleach, heavily laced with salt and alcohol, into the wound. The effect was immediate, and Risa started screaming so loudly, it was nearly painful. This room was soundproofed, luckily, so I wouldn't disturb anyone.

The best part about the bleach/alcohol/salt mix is that it doesn't really cause someone too lose blood, but it's way more painful then a cut. I moved to his other thumb, and did the same. His screams reached a new pitch, one I didn't think possible.

Risa's arms, legs, chest, and neck were all jerking at the straps, but he wouldn't get loose. The next thing I did was cut off the tip of both pinky fingers, then tie gauze around them. Between that gauze and the wound however, was more of the bleach. The gauze would just prevent any of the bleach from escaping the wound, or any blood from doing the same.

Risa's voice became hoarse as he tried to keep screaming, but couldn't keep it up. And most of his body was still untouched.

I flipped the scalpel in my hand, debating where to cut next. . . .

**A/N: I was at a loss, since I wanted to include a band, but didn't know if they had bands in Remnant. Then I re-watched a few episodes, and saw Yang put up the Achieve-Men poster, and was like: Mwah-ha-ha! The world is mine!**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	7. Chapter 7 The Death of a Useless CEO

**A/N: I'm back! What I'm thinking of doing it posting in week-long stretches, so seven chapters of this story, then seven for _The Golden-Eyed Swordsman_. Does that sound good to you? Review if you have any comments.**

Chapter 7- The Death of a Useless CEO

Ruby's POV

I checked my scroll's timer: Twelve hours, forty three minutes. Risa lost a lot of blood, but he was still alive. His suit was gone, and the white button down shirt he wore was sliced to pieces and soaked with blood. His chest was a mass of red, bleeding from literally _hundreds _of small cuts I had made. His arms weren't in any better condition, but I had left his feet mostly untouched. His fingers were nubs now, after I cut them off in sections, then poured the bleach on.

Risa's mind had snapped six hours in, and he fell unconscious after ten hours. Now I was working only for the benefit of the camera behind me. After yanking Risa's leather shoes off, I broke his big toe on the joint, then started making vertical cuts down it. I continued all the way down until I reached his heal, then started up at the top again..

I spun the current knife I was holding, and with some effort, cut through the Achilles tendon. His foot immediately went limp, much easier for cutting through skin. I started making parallel cuts, then rubbing the bleach in after every one. After I determined his foot was lacerated enough, I checked my scroll again: Thirteen hours, seven minutes.

My record was beaten, and I was somewhat bored. So I plunged the dagger into his heart, twisting until I couldn't feel a beat anymore. Risa was dead, so I stopped the camera that was recording the entire thing, and put it in a pocket. Then I slung Risa over my shoulder and walked out, heading for the throne-room.

Cinder was still there, looking at her scroll and frowning.

"Where should I put him, my Queen?" I asked loudly. Some of the aides glanced over, gulped, and looked away. The bloody mass on my shoulder probably frightened them more then a group of Deathstalkers.

Cinder's head turned to look at me, "Why not the street where you killed those Huntsmen?"

"As you command, my Queen." After I bowed my head respectfully, I stepped out of the room, then used my Semblance to get me there within seconds. The blood still was soaked into the streets, but the bodies of the Huntsmen and the limbs I had hewed off were gone. I dumped Risa's body on the ground there, then raised Crescent Rose and fired four shots into the air. After which, I scampered up the nearest building in time to see policemen come around the corner.

"I swear I heard four shots! It went bam, bam, bam." The first one said.

The second one looked at him, "That was only three."

The first cop sighed, "Bam."

Then they saw the body, "What in the-"

I had to keep myself from jumping down and killing them both, then turned back to the warehouse I called home.

Line Break

Yang's POV

"So, Blake, what were you doing yesterday?" I asked cheerfully. Now, it was the day after St. Valentine's day, and we were back on the hunt for my sister.

Blake, for her part, blushed slightly, "Talked, went to a theatre. Nothing special."

"Are you sure?" I jogged her with my elbow, "No first kiss?"

Blake rolled her eyes and shoved me away, so I turned to Weiss, "How 'bout you, Weiss?"

"No!" Weiss snapped, "Why must you always get involved in our personal affairs?"

"Ooh, so it didn't go so well." I backed up slightly, not wanting to end up in a chunk of ice.

"If you ladies are done chatting, can we get started?" Qrow appeared from around the side of a building, "Ruby isn't getting any closer."

"Where should we start?" Blake asked, as soft-spoken as always.

I shrugged, "Why not the abandoned district? I mean, first we ended up there when chasing her, then she murders a team who was patrolling it."

Qrow nodded, and started walking of in that direction. Luckily, we were only a few minutes away from the edge of the residential district, so we only had to cross through the commercial district to get to the abandoned portion of Vale.

There wasn't a line saying: Empty District Here. But once you cross a point, everything is empty. It was more of a feeling then anything else.

I shivered, "This place always gives me the creeps. It's always so much _colder_. . . . . "

Blake shrugged, "I like it. It seems. . . quiet. Peaceful."

"I have to agree with Yang." Weiss sounded colder then she did a few minutes ago, "This place is odd."

Qrow just shook his head and kept walking. That's when we saw the police standing near a street, blocking it off.

"What's going on here, officer?" Qrow asked politely.

"Some man was found here. Tortured to death, by the look of things." he said, "Oh, you're Huntsmen. You need to take a look?"

"That would be very helpful. Thank you." Qrow replied. The policeman stepped aside, and we all filed in. The man was a mass of blood, some of it even soaking into the street under him.

"Ancestors save us!" Qrow swore. I could see why: The man had so many different cuts and wounds on his body, they had to be in the thousands. Then there was this white stuff, all over his body.

"What is _that_?" Weiss asked. I didn't trust myself to speak without throwing up, so Qrow answered first.

"I'd wager nothing good. The police'll find out."

"Who is he?" Blake asked, looking disgusted at the sight before her.

"Wait." Qrow checked the man's pockets, which were intact, "Risa, the CEO of the Vale News Network."

"Why would Ruby want kill him?" I wondered aloud. What would Ruby have against the news?

"We don't know. And, if I'm right, there won't be a convenient blood trail." Qrow searched around, but found nothing. Then again, any blood could've just been hidden by the rest of the blood in this street.

"Wasn't there another news employee killed recently?" Blake asked.

I snapped my fingers, "That's right! Lisa Lavender, right? The anchorman!"

"An anchorman and the CEO?" Qrow looked skeptical,"That doesn't seem like a way to dismantle the company. And, as far as I know, she never met either of them."

"This just keeps making less and less sense." Blake shook her head, "A team of Huntsmen, police officers, a few citizens, and the CEO of the Vale News Network. What would killing them _do_?"

"Make people fear for their lives?" Weiss suggested, "It could show that no one is safe from her. That her next target could be anyone."

Qrow looked like an idea came to him, "None of them are Faunus. It was a team of non-Faunus Huntsmen, a group of policemen and citizens, all of which aren't Faunus. How many people has it been? Fifteen, seventeen?"

"I think it was nineteen at the last count." Weiss said thoughtfully, "Logic would suggest even _one_ Faunus among them."

Blake shook her head, "The White Fang would never work with her. And, the White Fang never was against the News Network, nor did they actively seek out police or Huntsmen."

I shrugged, "She's never liked how Faunus were treated. Maybe she doesn't kill Faunus 'cause they're Faunus."

Qrow stood up from where he had been squatting next to the body, "We have to many questions and not nearly enough answers. Perhaps we can puzzle this out later, see if the police come up with a pattern."

"Better then standing around." I waved a hand forward, "C'mon, let's keep looking. Maybe we'll get lucky."

Blake sighed, "Because we've had _so_ much luck."

Line Break

Ruby's POV

"Well hello, Red." Roman called, "What brings you to my humble abode?"

"Cinder wants us." I replied, then walked out the door. Roman sighed, picked up his cane and hat, and followed me.

The day was edging on night now, the perfect time for robberies, if that was what Cinder wanted.

"Now that you are both here, we can begin." Cinder's voice, as smooth as always, carried across the room from a table. On it was a map, showing the locations of all Dust stores, along with if they had been robbed yet.

"What do we do?" I asked, getting straight to the point.

"Instead of stealing the Dust, you are to kill the owner. Roman, you are to steal the Dust from a store two blocks away." Cinder said, pointing to the two shops in question. "After which, you will both head to a third, and detonate the Dust inside."

I nodded, the next question coming to my mind, "How will we get there?"

"Bullhead. Roman, you will have eight White Fang with you. Ruby, you won't need any just to kill the owner." Cinder instructed, "You may go."

With her permission, I strode out the door and headed to where the Bullheads were kept. Minutes later, we were flying through the air, towards our targets. As the Bullhead passed over my shop, I jumped off, rolling as I hit the ground.

From there, I dropped to street level and broke open the door.

"Hey! Who'd you think you are?" The shop keeper shouted angrily, then paled as he saw me properly, "No! Please no! Ancestors save me!"

A single shot rang out in the night. After he was dead, I mutilated his body a small bit, making sure everyone would know who did it. Lastly, I made my rose emblem on his throat.

The first part done, I sprinted four blocks away, and waited. Minutes later, Roman and the White Fang, both in the Bullhead, landed outside the shop.

I didn't see why Cinder wanted me to be here, as Roman simply raised the Melodic Cudgel and fired a single shot into the shop. All the Dust in it exploded violently, tearing the building apart. With the smoldering wreckage behind him, Roman climbed back into the Bullhead, "You coming, Red?"

I stepped on board, and the pilot took off. Within another few minutes, we were back at "home".

"Mission completed, my Queen." I bowed, back in the throne-room.

Cinder nodded, "Good. That should confuse the police to no end trying to figure out why. Sleep now, I have another task for the morning."

I nodded in respect, then left again. Strangely enough, my room felt emptier without the corpse of someone strapped to the wall. Shaking that thought out of my head, I climbed into the sheets and slept peacefully.

**A/N: This chapter is a little shorter then usual, but I couldn't figure out a good way to end it. I'm also thinking of setting up Bumblebee, but I need your opinion on that, too.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	8. Chapter 8- Revealing the Raven

**A/N: I'm also trying to make Yang more punny, but I'm not Barbara. Then again, I also don't have Burnie shouting a me. There's also gonna be some not so subtle RT references, just 'cause I want to.**

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, as I've said before. All credit goes to Roosterteeth.

Chapter 8- Revealing the Raven

Yang's POV

"Yesterday night, no less then _three_ Dust shops were attacked!" It was a new anchorman, replacing Lisa Lavender, "The police are withholding information, but we have reason to suspect the Reaper was behind one, and the nefarious criminal, Roman Torchwick, was behind another. Both Dust shops, and both attacked by numbers one and two of the VPD's most wanted list! Could they be together? And what would that mean for Vale's criminal network? This is Vale morning news, on every day at eight-thirty."

With that, the screen went blank.

"We can't do anything about that now." Weiss said, "We have the entire day of classes before we can keep looking."

I sighed, "I wish we didn't have to go. This could be important!"

Blake, who was behind me, laid a comforting hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry, Yang. We'll find her, and we'll get her back. You'll see."

"We could skip today." I suggested. Weiss didn't like it, of course, but Blake was fine with it.

"It's irresponsible and dangerous for us to skip school." Weiss protested, "We're _students_ here, and we don't know everything we need to."

"Yeah, but Ruby doesn't know, either." I replied, "This _thing_, these robberies and killings. . . . . whatever she did here. . . . . I don't know!"

"I agree with Yang." Blake said, "We haven't been looking hard enough for Ruby. We've only managed to each for a few hours after the school hours each night. Something is off about those robberies. I can feel it. It isn't Torchwick's or Ruby's style to completely destroy a shop. The first was Ruby's, and the second was Roman's. But who blew up that last shop?"

"Another criminal? The White Fang?" Weiss suggested, "They've been blowing up stores for a _long _time."

"But they've stopped doing that." I pointed out, "After the train, I thought they would've tried to kill Roman. They didn't. We thought that they wouldn't work with him in the first place. They did. Something's going on here, and we can't see it!"

"Yang's right." Blake supported me, "We can only see the effects. The White Fang, Ruby, and Roman all apparently working together. Ruby suddenly turning into a killer. Four Huntsmen and the CEO of a large company, murdered. We can't see the _cause_ of this. We need to stop looking for just our leader, and start looking for everyone else."

"And how do you suggest that?" Weiss stomped a foot, "Attend another White Fang meeting? Go to that _club_ again? Because that worked _so_ well last time, getting chased through the streets by a giant _robot_."

"To be fair, it did work pretty well." I pointed out, "We found out about the train, and stopped it-"

"_Please_ don't." Blake interrupted, sensing what was about to happen.

"-In it's tracks?" I finished, nudging Blake in the shoulder, "Eh? Eh? No? You guys are no fun these days."

Then I heard a chuckle outside the window. I saw Qrow standing there, on the ledge outside, "To be fair, it was pretty good."

"What are you doing here?!" Weiss asked, still apparently miffed about the time Sun was hanging there by his tail.

"You know, waiting to see if you had the same plan I did." Qrow answered, climbing over the sill and into our room, "So this is where you come up with all your schemes."

Qrow looked around, and raised an eyebrow at the bed suspended by ropes, "That was Ruby's idea?"

I nodded, and he chuckled again, "Only Ruby would make something that different. So, you guys skipping school or what?"

"Aren't you a teacher at Signal?" Weiss said, shocked, "What about your class?"

"Patch is a long ways away, my dear." Qrow smiled, "A sub's taking my place. It'd be a hassle to get there and back each day, so I didn't bother. Ready to go?"

I shrugged, "Sure. Whenever you two are."

Qrow turned, then hopped out the window again, "See you at the bottom!"

He dropped, making Weiss rush over, "Did he just?"

"Yep." I replied, then followed Qrow out. It was a little more then a ten story drop, so easy enough. Provided you didn't mess up.

My hair whipped around in the wind, then I fired my Ember Celica several times to slow my fall. I landed hard and rolled on the ground, coming to my feet next to Qrow.

Weiss, of course, used her glyphs to soften her fall, while Blake ended up jumping off of several of her shadows. Once they both landed, we headed off. Qrow was leading us, but I had no idea where.

"C'mon, we're heading to the shop that blew up." Qrow waved an arm forward, "That's the key here."

We followed him, until we reached the wreckage of a small shop that was pressed in on either side by two larger buildings. In front of it were the same two cops that replied to the _From Dust to Dawn_ robbery. One wore aviator sunglasses, suspenders, and for some reason had a toothpick sticking out of his mouth. He also sported a light full-face mustache and beard. The other cop was clean shaven, and wore the standard white button-down with a black tie.

"Hello, officers." Qrow approached them, "Do you have any information on this event?"

"Huntsman, are you?" The one with the toothpick asked, "We got nuthin', othe' then the obvious. It'd be a Dust bullet to make the boom, but othe' then that, nuthin'."

"Well, thank you for the help." Qrow replied, then turned away.

He looked at the three of us, "Now, which villain who may or may not be number two on the Most Wanted list loves volatile Dust cartridges?"

"Roman Torchwick." Blake said slowly, "But why would didn't he rob it instead?"

"Why didn't Ruby rob the Dust shop she killed the owner of?" Qrow countered, "We don't know. Let's stop assuming we know anything about whatever's going on here."

"It's like the riddle you told me and Ruby when we were young!" I piped up, "Feathers or lead?"

"What?" Weiss asked, "I don't think I've heard that one."

Blake nodded slowly, "An old legend, where a demon asks a traveler a question: Feathers or lead?"

"What's the answer?"

"Whatever the demon wants it to be." Blake replied, "He can change it at will. To get the question right, you must forget everything you thought you knew about the demon, for what you saw before is false."

"Exactly." Qrow continued, "We know that Ruby kills. We assumed that there was no pattern, that she killed because she wanted to. We knew that Roman robs. We assumed there was a pattern, that he robbed places to gain money, or help the White Fang. We knew the White Fang have been looking for power. We assumed that they decided to stop attacking small shops to chase after bigger fish."

"And look where we are now." I finished, "We have _no_ idea what's going on."

"So, feathers or lead?" Blake asked all of us.

"No idea. Every time we assume something, it's wrong. Look at Risa: He said the Reaper was going to kill him. We though he was lying. Then he turned up dead in the abandoned district." Qrow said, "Let's assume that Ruby was going to kill him there. Who were the others that were there?"

I shrugged, "I could go check with Junior. If they were his, I could find out."

"White Fang?" Weiss suggested, "If everything we assumed was false, that terrorist group is a _definite_ possibility."

Blake hissed, "They _aren't_ terrorists. Extremists, yes. Not _terrorists_."

I placed a hand on Blake's shoulder, "Weiss is still used to thinking of them differently. Give her time."

Blake shrugged of my hand angrily and fell silent. After a while, Qrow spoke up again, "D'you think you can attend another meeting?"

Blake looked up, "I. . . don't know. I can get in, of course. But if Roman's there. . . . or Ruby. . . ."

"Right." Qrow said, "Yang, go and get some information out of Junior. Blake, I have an old. . . friend who might be able to help."

"What should I do?" Weiss asked, annoyed at being left out.

"I have an important job for you, Weiss." Qrow looked at her, "Don't take this offensively, but the SDC has been operating in some shady business. I need you to figure out if they've caught any word of this."

She nodded, looking troubled. Of course she'd be worried. If she was caught. . . . it wouldn't be pretty.

Line Break

Qrow's POV

"Follow me, Blake." I ordered, turning away. I went down a side street, quickly closing into the heart of the kingdom. Here was where the hustle and bustle of the city masked all conversations.

"I've arranged a meeting with an acquaintance of mine who you need to meet." I told her, then entered a basement that one could access from street lever, and closed the door behind us, "She should be here soon."

"She?" Blake asked.

"My daughter." Qrow whispered into my ear, "But you _don't_ know about that, and you _cannot_ tell the rest of your team. Years of effort have gotten her to where she is now."

"Who is she?"

"Raven. Raven Branwen." It was a voice in the shadows of the basement behind us. It was a young woman, about Yang's age, but just seemed older. Sadder and more quiet.

She wasn't wearing her mask, as that would be a dead give-away on the streets, so Blake didn't know she was part of the White Fang.

"This is Raven, who fulfills the same role as Adam Taurus, except in Atlas." I told Blake, then saw her stiffen, "She's on our side, Blake."

"I haven't found anything on your niece. Although a young girl going missing hardly arouses any attention, regardless of if she was attending Beacon." Raven told me, "I've been kept in a hideout separate from the main one here, so I can't find out much about the intent behind operations. A few odd mentions of a "Queen" though."

"Same as a year and a half ago." I said. My message to Ozpin, "Queen has pawns" referred to that. Someone, the "Queen" had united the criminal factions, the "pawns" in the city. Now it looked like she was involved in the White Fang as well.

Then Blake spoke up, "Do you know the Reaper killed any White Fang members?"

Raven's brows furrowed, "No. She hasn't."

"You would think the White Fang would try to get rid of her by now." I replied. It looks the we had plenty of puzzle pieces on the table. We just needed to connect them.

"She?" Raven asked, "How do you know it's a she?"

"My niece." I whispered to her, "She's the Reaper, and Ruby used to be the leader of Blake's team."

Raven sighed, "You should've told me, Qrow."

"What _has_ the White Fang been up to recently?" Blake brought us back on topic.

"More Dust robberies. I've tried to find where they're going, but the Dust left over after re-supplying our own men just disappears." Raven looked troubled, "I haven't seen Roman yet, but Dust used to be his. . . . job."

"Did you ever figure out who his employer was?"

"No. It might be the "Queen", though. Judging by the fact that she's mixed up in everything else, I think it's a very real possibility." I said, "Raven, was there anything like that in Atlas?"

"No." Raven answered, "Not even whispers."

"Well, thanks for coming." I replied, "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise." Raven turned to the door, then looked back at Blake, "Remember, the White Fang may just be misguided Faunus, but they will not hesitate to end your life."

Blake nodded, "I know. I just hope it doesn't come to that."

**A/N: Yeah, so this chapter was all about the Hunt for Ruby, and introducing Raven. Yang already knows her, of course, so now Weiss is the only one that doesn't.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	9. Chapter 9- All Your Base Are Belong

**A/N: After finding out what I thought said "abandoned district" (on Roman's map) actually said "agricultural district", the abandoned district is up and to the left of the commercial district, and to the left of Forever Fall. By the way, if I just change POVs, it means no time has passed.**

Disclaimer: I forget to put these up most of the time, but they're supposed to be on every chapter. I don't own RWBY, no matter how much I want to. All credit goes to Roosterteeth.

Chapter 9- All Your Base Are Belong to Them

Blake's POV

I knew I _shouldn't_ be here, but I couldn't stop now. This could be my best chance to figure out what the White Fang were up too, and I couldn't waste it.

Yang was still off questioning Junior, and Weiss hadn't returned from wherever she went. Qrow had told me to go back to Beacon while he checked out the other two shops, and Raven had disappeared.

The claw marks on the wall told me this was the building where the next meeting was being held, after their last warehouse was raided by the police.

"New recruits, step to the left." One of the White Fang, a stag Faunus, instructed while handing out masks. I grabbed one, and stepped into the main part of the warehouse. Good news: There wasn't a massive robot waiting. Bad news: It just looked like a regular meeting.

Adam Taurus was up front, waiting for everyone to arrive. Once the doors closed, he stepped forward, "Welcome, all of you who came today. We do not have any. . . . . _special_ news, just that our plans are going forward without delay. For those of you joining us, please step up to the front."

I was at the back of the crowd, behind the White Fang members already in uniform, and thought they wouldn't notice me. But I already had been seen, by eyes all the way up on a catwalk.

Ruby's POV

Blake. I knew she would come here eventually, and I knew what I had to do. Quietly, I landed on the ground behind her. Blake's ears pricked, apparently hearing something, but it was already too late. I caught her in a stranglehold, then dragged her away from the warehouse and used my Semblance to run all way back to the abandoned district.

Blake was still unconscious when I dragged her into a room that was meant to hold anyone too important to just kill out of hand. Cinder had a plan for her, and now it could begin.

"My Queen, I have the Faunus." I bowed to her, back in the throne room, "What's the rest of the plan?"

"Send a picture of her to the rest of her team." Cinder instructed, "Hold her as a hostage, but do not harm her."

"And after, my Queen?"

"Then send them directions. Take Neo, Roman, the Lieutenant, Emerald, and Mercury with you. That fight will need to be won quickly." Cinder ordered, "Capture them alive."

"By your command." I turned away, back to the room I was keeping Blake in. She was sitting, cross-legged, in the corner, apparently waiting.

"Ruby, you know what you're doing is wrong." Blake said quietly, not looking at me, "I thought I was doing right when I was a part of the White Fang, but I was wrong. You, and the rest of team RWBY showed me that."

I looked at her, and momentarily felt qualms about what I was planning, "I _am_ doing the right thing, Blake. I should never have convinced you otherwise. But you can still join us."

"I can't." Blake looked at me, with pain in her eyes, "The path you're on won't end well. I've taken that road, too, and I know you won't want to walk it much longer."

"You're wrong there, Blake." I muttered, taking her picture, "I wouldn't be anywhere else right now, even if I could turn back time."

I sent the picture of Blake to Yang and Weiss, then turned away, leaving her there. Then I saw a group of White Fang heading towards the cell.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"We're gonna give that _traitor_ a lesson." The first one said, balling his fists, "And you won't stop us. You don't like her any more then we do."

I froze, and the group walked past me. They entered the cell, leaving me torn. Then I heard the rip of fabric and realized what they were doing. I sprinted in the room, kicking one of the White Fang away, and Crescent Rose took off the arm of another. There wasn't much space here, so I dropped my scythe and drew one of the knives I carried for torturing. The knife got embedded in the third grunt's chest, then I yanked it out and cut the throat of the last grunt.

Blake had backed up to the corner of the cell, looking at me warily. I had taken her weapon before I locked her in a cell, and I couldn't trust her not to attack me. So instead, I tossed her the knife.

It clattered off the wall, as Blake didn't try to catch it. I finished off the grunt with the missing arm and the one who I kicked, then turned. Blake, for her part, looked surprised, "Why?"

"I don't know." I growled, "More of them might have the same, but don't even think about try using it against me."

Blake nodded, "You're still my team leader, Ruby. I can see that in you. Come back to us. We all miss you."

I shook my head, "I can't. It's too late, so don't bother trying."

One at a time, I dragged the grunts out, then locked the door. Moving quickly, I hid the bodies in a different room, then chose the street where Weiss and Yang would go once they received the picture. They would be there soon, so I gathered Neo, Roman, the Lieutenant, Emerald, and Mercury.

"Cinder wants them alive." I instructed the five of them, "If any of them die, I will personally kill whoever did it."

It felt odd to threaten a group of people a lot older then I was, but they all knew my reputation.

Fifteen minutes later, Weiss and Yang ran into the street, but with someone else I didn't expect. Qrow. My uncle.

"Ruby? You there?" Qrow called, but I steeled myself for the fight ahead. They wouldn't fall easily.

"Sis? Where are you?" Yang yelled, looking sadder then ever.

I fired a single shot from Crescent Rose. That was the signal, as the rest of my group walked out of the other side-streets and alleys, surrounding them.

"This'll be a lot easier if you just give up." Roman said.

"Yeah, like that'll happen." Emerald muttered, and drew her two gun-scythes. Yang cocked her Ember Celcia, Weiss drew Myrtenaster, and Qrow drew his own scythe.

Roman sighed and brought the Melodic Cudgel up, while the White Fang Lieutenant raised his chainsaw. We were all waiting, our weapons drawn and ready. Mercury made the first move, jumping up high and kicking Weiss. Weiss knocked aside the blow with her sword, then violence ensued.

I swung my scythe at Qrow, but he flipped backwards, and ran at me.

Neo's POV

Yang wouldn't give up easily. My parasol clanged off of her gauntlets, first high, then low. I had to open it again to block a shot from them, but then the White Fang Lieutenant swung his chain-sword downward viciously. Yang blocked it with both Ember Celcia, giving me the opportunity to catch her in the side of the head with my parasol. I pressed the advantage, making Yang stagger away, though she still managed to block my strikes.

Yang' hair caught fire, and she charged at us. This time, she blocked the chain-sword with one gauntlet, then used the other to blast the Lieutenant in the chest. I jumped forward, dodging around her blows, then flipped up, kicking Yang away.

The Lieutenant had gotten up by then and his chain-sword came down on Yang's body, but Yang shot herself backwards, and climbed to her feet. I ducked Yang's first punch, then blocked the second with my parasol. I spun, kicking my foot up high. My foot hit Yang's jaw, spinning her away, back to the Lieutenant, who slammed her into the ground.

I turned to see Mercury kick Weiss unconscious, and Emerald lying on the ground. Then my attention focused on the two dueling figures. When two scythe-wielders fight, it's viscous. Qrow was the more skilled of the two, and was pushing Ruby back. Then the Lieutenant lunged over and brought his sword down. Qrow leaped backwards, but the White Fang member was already there, and kicked Qrow into the wall.

Qrow staggered looked around at the still bodies of Weiss and Yang, then shook his head and ran away.

"Look's like you can't kill your Schnee yet." Roman commented, picking himself up. The Lieutenant growled, but said nothing.

Ruby, looking tired, nodded, and picked up Yang. The Lieutenant grabbed Weiss roughly, then Mercury and I gently carried Emerald, who was apparently knocked out by Weiss. About fifteen minutes later, we arrived back at the base.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

"We have Weiss and Yang." I told Cinder, who was on her throne, "But there was an instructor from Signal there, Qrow."

"Qrow." Cinder said, "Your uncle?"

I stiffened, "Yes, my uncle. Another scythe-wielder."

"Hmm. Very well. Lock them all in separate rooms, and wait for further instructions." Cinder ordered, "And why are there four dead White Fang grunts in a closet not far from Blake's cell?"

"My Queen, they attempted to rape Blake." My voice shook, "By your orders that she not be harmed, I killed them."

"You did not simply order them away?" Cinder asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No." My eyes couldn't meet Cinder's.

"Return to your room." Cinder commanded.

I nodded, then walked away. Adam was right outside the hall, so I pulled him aside, "I know you still care about Blake."

Adam looked at me suspiciously, "Maybe. Why?"

"Some of the White Fang tried to rape her. I would suggest you try to protect her, as my Queen has ordered me back to my room." Adam stiffened, then walked away.

My room was the same as always, with nothing to do inside. I hoped Adam could convince the White Fang not to harm the rest of my team, but I couldn't count on him. I had to, though, as I was stuck here. Moving to my drawer of knives, I replaced the one I gave Blake, then started twirling said knife. Nothing to do. . .

After about half an hour, my scroll beeped and vibrated. Expecting a message from Cinder, I opened the scroll to instead a text from Qrow. How did he know my number?

I deleted the message before even opening it, then my scroll beeped again. This time, it _was_ from Cinder. She was still in the throne-room, talking quietly to one of her aides. After I entered the room, Cinder looked up and shooed the aide away.

"Be on guard, Ruby." Cinder ordered, "I believe Qrow will-"

Cinder was cut off by a massive explosion that shook the walls. I looked outside to see five figures run in through the broken doors of our base. Qrow, Sun, Neptune, and two others that I didn't recognize.

"Buy me some time, Ruby." Cinder commanded, "We need to get out of here."

I nodded to her, then ran towards the fight. Other people, mostly grunts, were attacking the five of them. I swung my scythe down on Sun, but he caught in on his staff, and gritted his teeth, "You don't have to do this, Ruby."

I snarled in reply and kicked the inside of his leg. Then I was knocked away as Neptune hit me with his glaive. I stumbled to my feet, then embedded Crescent Rose into the ground and started shooting. Sun's nunchucks spun, blocking the bullets.

"Ruby. Duck." Adam Taurus ordered. I crouched, then saw Wilt fly over my head. It hit Sun in the chest and he fell, gasping. Adam darted forward, grabbing Wilt and slashing at Neptune. Neptune blocked the cut, then swung his glaive again. Adam knocked it aside with Blush, stepping forward and bringing Wilt around.

Then, a guy in a long white coat with green hair and dark skin tackled him. Meanwhile, Emerald, Neo, and Mercury also arrived, and were locked in combat with Qrow and the last unknown person, who had scarlet hair and a red cape.

Neither side had a real advantage, but then Qrow spun his scythe and knocked Neo away, in the same motion scoring a cut on Emerald. Then my scroll buzzed, and I knew it was time to go. We all dodged behind our five opponents, then ran out the wrecked door. The base was lost.

**A/N: Victory to Qrow and team SSSN. Team SSSN is Sun, Scarlet (the one with red hair and the cape), Sage (the one with the green hair and white coat), and Neptune. It's all on the RWBY wikia, but I need to figure out weapons for them. All your base are belong to us is a reference to something else (Zero Wing), that isn't just me messing up my grammar.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	10. Chapter 10- Memories

**A/N: As it seems like more people approved of the week thing then didn't, you guys get the first seven updates (From Saterday-Sunday). Oh, and if something just doesn't make sense to you, review or PM. I'll explain it.**

Disclaimer: I'm not Monty. Although I wish I could just say he was resurrected by something, I don't think that's happened. But he's always alive in his work.

Chapter 10- Memories

Ruby's POV

The five of us, Emerald, Mercury, Neo, Adam, and I, all ran until we were at least thirteen blocks away. Splitting up would be worse than useless, as the five of them would easily overpower any of us. I checked my scroll, seeing a deserted intersection I knew well, then started running in that direction.

The others followed me after checking their own scrolls. Less then a minute later, we saw Cinder, with Roman and the Lieutenant.

"Well, Red, I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it." Roman said mockingly, "After all, it's _dangerous_ out here for a young girl."

I scowled at him, but Cinder spoke before I could, "Quite, Roman. Ruby, you are in charge of this."

She handed me her scroll, which showed a view of the warehouse we had left. On one side, there was a comically large, digital, red button.

"Yes, Ruby." Cinder replied to my unasked question, "I knew there would be a day we would have to abandon that place, so I took the precaution of having red Dust charges placed throughout the compound. It will be leveled, and you will do it."

I nodded, and started to bring my hand down, but hesitated. Blake, Weiss, Qrow. . . they were all still in there. Could I really kill them? I had killed and tortured others, but I didn't know those others. They were the faceless masses of enemies or possible enemies.

"Can you, Ruby?" Cinder whispered into my ear, "Will you do what is right? Will you take that step? Or will I have to take it for you?"

I waited for a moment longer, then saw a flicker of movement by the broken doors to the warehouse. My finger stabbed down on the scroll, and the compound exploded. Eight figures were thrown out the open doorway, landing with obviously broken limbs and torn up skin. Then their Auras flared, healing the injuries, and they staggered upright.

"They were lucky." Cinder observed, "But perhaps you were lucky as well. In the future, do not hesitate to do what needs to be done."

Cinder took her scroll back and turned away. We all followed, until we reached a tall building that didn't qualify as a skyscraper, but wasn't short, either.

"This is our new base. The White Fang from our old one are here." Cinder informed us, "I am uploading the floor plan to your scrolls now."

Pretty soon, our scrolls all beeped, and Cinder left us. The first floor was completely empty, and all the rooms for those of us who would live there were on floors two through eight. Cinder's throne-room would be on floor three, along with the new cells.

My room was a moderately big, but all it held was a bed and dresser. I'd have to get more straps and knives, then. My scroll buzzed as a message from Cinder arrived. _Throne-room. Now_

Within half a minute, I was bowing to Cinder.

"Go out there, and kill team of Huntsmen." Cinder ordered, "They need to see we are still strong, and with the more recent confirmations that we are working together, this is the best way to show it."

I stiffened, then nodded. Killing a team of Huntsmen was never easy, but perhaps I could find one separated, "Students or full Huntsmen, my Queen?"

"The first one you find. Speed is of the essence."

I bowed again, then sprinted out the door. It took me most of the hour to get to Beacon, where an idea sprang into my head. A strike inside of Beacon itself. If I was careful and lucky enough. . . . . No. That was suicide right now, without weeks of planning and preparations.

I waited on a rooftop, until I could see a Bullhead leaving Beacon, and heading into the city. I followed it, jumping from roof to roof. It was, of course, a lot faster than I was, but I saw it take off again a few blocks from me. When I arrived, that team was walking along slowly, apparently in no hurry. Fourth year students. Not easy kills.

I carefully lined up the first shot on the head of the person furthest away, then fired. These Dust rounds were filled with red Dust. Illegal to sell or have, but what did I care? It bounced off of her Aura, the red Dust inside igniting and exploding, which should cripple her Aura. I shot again before she knew what was going on, and this shot penetrated, killing her. By then, the rest of that team had gotten to whatever cover they could find, mostly inside building.

I jumped down to street level, then the three remaining team members, a man, a woman, and a bear Faunus, surrounded me. They all pulled out weapons, a scimitar, a collapsible staff, and claws. I shot myself forwards, bring my scythe down in a lethal chop. The scimitar-wielding man rolled to the side, then swung. I caught on the haft of Crescent Rose, in the same motion chopping deep into his left leg.

His Aura healed the wound, but I couldn't press the advantage as the bear Faunus leapt into the air and swiped me. I shot myself to the side and kicking my boots up, catching the staff-wielding woman in the chest. Then, I took aim at the one with the scimitar, and shot. His Aura held, but I could tell it was flickering.

The bear Faunus launched a kick at me that I dodge backwards from, then his claws sliced down my arm, tearing through the skin. I growled, my Aura healing the wounds, then hooked the bear Faunus' leg out from under him, and stabbed the pointed end of my scythe down. His Aura stopped me for a few seconds, but I stabbed harder, and broke through it. Then the scimitar one came forward again, making me leap backwards.

The woman with the staff had also gotten up from the wall I kicked her into, and the three of them faced me. I smiled, pointed my scythe behind me, and fired again, The blast, combined with my Semblance, shot me forward about as fast as the eye could see, and I took the head of the bear Faunus as I went passed, then turned, my scythe swinging around. The haft of it caught the staff-wielder and sent her stumbling while the scimitar one lunged forward. This time, he scored a small cut on my upper arm as I was too slow in dodging.

Then, Crescent Rose retracted into rifle form, and I shot him for the second time. This shot smashed through his weakened Aura and killed him, leaving just the staff-women, who climbed to her feet and started twirling it around. I smirked at that, then swing my scythe down. The staff knocked it aside, and the women tried stabbing me with one end of it. I turned, the end flying past me, then I grabbed the staff and yanked hard. The young women was caught off-balance, so I quickly buried my scythe in her throat. The fight was over.

Working quickly, I mutilated the bodies to make Qrow and the others think I tortured them, then embedded my rose sign into each of their bodies. Time to head back to the new base.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

"They are dead, my Queen." I bowed to Cinder.

"I've noticed." Cinder replied in her soft voice, "It has already hit the news. Return to your room. I have no tasks for you right now."

I nodded, and strode out the door. Once I was back in my room, I used my scroll to start planning a possible killing on Beacon grounds. The blueprints, of course, weren't available to the law-abiding public, but now that the criminal underground was mostly Cinder's, we had everything. I traced a possible route, then frowned. Beacon was surrounded by cliffs, one side leading to the Emerald Forest, the other bordering the commercial/residential districts.

If I landed on a Bullhead, maybe. No, how would I get aboard? Shoot my way up the cliffs? Too visible. But the only eyes are on the populated side. . . what if I get up the Forest or Fall side?

I made a note to look at that more, but it was probably the best route. From there I traced my finger across the grounds, noting clumps of bushes and other objects I could hide behind, then reached the dormitory. How would I get in? For all of the pleasant greenery, there was nothing near any of the doors. Carving a bloody path up to a room would be too time consuming, with teacher eventually arriving and either killing me or taking me. I'd have to get up there.

Then I noticed the tree Sun and Neptune climbed up when we- not we, _they_\- were planning the investigation. If _they_ could get up to an open window that high up, there should be plenty of lower windows_ I_ could get to. From there, though. How would I escape?

I could pilot a Bullhead, but not good enough to escape any aircraft that came after me. Jumping off the cliff and into the concrete streets didn't seem like a very good idea. Then an idea hit me again. The selection of teams, where many were just flung off the cliff. The boards launched basically randomly, so anyone trying to follow would lose my trail. So I had an escape, I had a possible entrance, and I have possible targets. But once I used them, Ozpin and the staff would just guard against those. What if I had an opportunity while Ironwood was here, if he ever visited Beacon again?

Just thinking of his name brought back memories yet again. And this time, they kept going for a while.

_Penny strapped down to a dentist's chair. Ironwood was standing in the corner, watching. Other walked in, scientists and mechanics with some types of tools._

"_Begin." It was Ozpin, standing opposite of Ironwood. The mechanics cut Penny's skin, to expose the metal I knew was beneath. Then, they started unscrewing Penny's chest. Penny was screaming in pain, but no one paid any mind._

_At last, the chest place was off, Penny's screams becoming even louder. I couldn't see what was inside, but the mechanics were taking away parts, and putting others in. They were literally tearing Penny apart and putting her back together, like she was a toaster, or a weapon what needed maintenance to be kept operational._

_I couldn't get my eyes away, until someone else strode in. He had stark-white hair, and pale skin. He looked like Weiss' father, with the same annoyance. "Is it working?"_

"_Yes, Mr. Schnee." One of the scientists said, "Everything is progressing smoothly."_

"_Good." Mr. Schnee fell silent, then turned to Ironwood, "Have you found the Paladins that have gone missing."_

_This time, Ozpin was the one who spoke, "The Paladins were stolen by the White Fang, and were going to be used to bring destruction to much of the city in the train you have heard about. Fortunately, teams RWBY, JNPR, and CVFY were present to limit the damage. Your daughter did well."_

"_I knew she would." Mr. Schnee said almost wistfully, "She was always a strong one, like her mother. Winter took after me, skilled at the more. . . . profitable realm of work."_

"_It's done, sir." One of the scientists reported, "Her Dust manipulation matrix is operating at peak efficiency, and her sword movement field is also working at one hundred percent. The Semblance has been improved by the more recent upgrades, as well as her Aura."_

"_Good. We will need her for the coming battles." Ironwood replied, "Some work it best for those who aren't Huntsmen, and while the Knights are excellent against Grimm, they are sadly lacking against all-to-human foes."_

At this, I wrenched myself out of the memory, and sat back on my bed. Ironwood had to die for what he did to Penny, but Cinder had a special plan for Mr. Schnee.

**A/N: All that stuff the scientist said was just technobabble. It isn't really important at all. Remember what Penny is, since that'll be important later.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	11. Chapter 11- Welcome to Atlas

**A/N: Remember, after this Saturday, it'll be a week without updates.**

Disclaimer: See any of the previous.

Chapter 11- Welcome to Atlas

Ruby's POV

I woke up, gasping as my scroll rang loudly. I had fallen asleep without even noticing, after being sucked away in a string of memories. It was a message from Cinder, and since it was ringing loudly, it meant I missed at least one such message already.

Pulling on my boots, I raced out the door and down to the throne room. Cinder looked uncomfortable in her "throne", as she usually did when there was no one to threaten. "You came."

"I'm very sorry, my Queen. I fell asleep and missed the first message." I bowed, "You have an assignment for me?"

"Yes, Ruby. My counterpart in Atlas is in place to rise as it's Lord. You are to go there with Raven Branwen, a senior White Fang in Atlas' own chapter of the network, and help the Lord there unify the criminal groups there." Cinder ordered, "Those searching for you will likely follow. Do not let your guard down."

"Yes, my Queen. How?"

"Bullhead, of course." Cinder said, "Roman will also be accompanying you, as he has. . . . experience in more criminal manners. I will send you coordinates and times for you later."

I hastily left the room, sending a text to Roman saying to expect a message from Cinder, then went to my own room. I quickly packed a few extra outfits, and plenty of knives. If this King's rise was anything like Cinder, there would be plenty of people to threaten.

Minutes later, my scroll buzzed. On it was a message with the location of another White Fang hideout and a time, thirty minutes from no. I forwarded it to Roman, then climbed aboard a Bullhead that was "parked" on the roof of a building next door. About fifteen minutes before time was up, Roman arrived, Neo tailing him and carrying a few bags.

Roman climbed into the cockpit of the Bullhead, "Buckle up, ladies. This'll be a quite a ride once we enter restricted airspace."

Restricted? That doesn't sound good. The first few hours of the flight to Atlas was smooth, but once we could see Atlas in the distance, trouble started.

"This is the Atlas Transportation Authority. Please state your name and cargo." a man's voice squawked over the radio.

"Time for a rough ride!" Roman yelled back. Neo and I, having tied the luggage down, grabbed onto whatever we could find.

There was nothing for the first few minutes, then off in the distance I saw the military airships, ones similar to those that dropped the Atlesian Knights onto the battlefield. Roman pulled the joystick pack, gaining altitude until the airships were almost on top of us, then dove. The engines were pointed at a forty-five degree angle downwards giving us immense speed as we rocketed downward. Roman pulled up as we grazed the treetops, treetops that started splintering as the airships behind us opened fire. Roman jinked to the left, then to the right, dodging most of the rounds. Then they started pinging off the hull as their aim got better.

Then, we were over the city, where the airships couldn't shoot. They were following us closely, though, until Roman swung us in a tight curve around a skyscraper, then cut the engines. We dropped until a few dozen meters above the ground, Roman fired the engines and slowed us down enough to land.

"You may unbuckle your seat belts and walk around the cabin." Roman said, chuckling, "Thank you for flying on Torchwick Airlines."

"I've heard that airline's popular with smugglers!" I called.

"When the mood strikes me, and the pay's high enough." Roman replied, "But I wasn't smuggling anything on this flight."

Neo held up another bag, and Roman amended his statement, "Maybe a little smuggling."

Then someone else emerged from the back compartment, wearing all red and black, with almost sharp hair. Her face looked exactly like Yang's, but her eyes were red, and in them I could see depths of sorrow.

"Raven Branwen?" I asked.

"Yes."

"I might need you to help me find a few things." I pulled out my scroll, "Do you know where this is?"

Raven studied it, then nodded, "Three blocks to the left of here, turn right, then nine more blocks. Now, I must make contact with the White Fang here."

With that, Raven drew a sword with red blade, which extended until it was twice the length of the sheath, then swung it off to the side. A red arc formed some kind of vortex, which Raven stepped through and disappeared.

Roman turned to the left and started walking, Neo following him a few steps behind. I brought up the rear, watching carefully. There were a pair of Atlesian Knights at every corner, standing completely still. None of the people seemed to care, though, and weren't afraid of the military prescence here.

No one recognized Roman or I as we walked through the streets. Neo drew a few odd looks, but that happened everywhere.

We turned right, and kept walking. As we did, the number of people in the streets started dropping rapidly, then there were three Knights a corner, then four. When we reached the address, there were five Knights a corner, with guns held at the ready.

On the message from Cinder were directions on how to get into this two-story building. We passed the Knights, then Neo teleported us to the roof. From there, Roman knocked on a hatch with his cane, then stepped back. Trying to walk through the front door would mean almost certain ambush, but not on the roof.

Seconds later, the hatch opened to reveal a man in a black leather bomber jacket and black jeans.

"Would you be the three from Mistral?" He asked, his voice completely at odds with his choice of clothes.

"No. We're from Vale. That's Roman, Neo, and Ruby." I corrected him, then introduced us.

"Do not be so quick to volunteer information here, young women. In Atlas, there are many groups vying for control, and most would not hesitate it kill you. In Atlas, information is the grease to make the gears of criminal activities turn. Offer misinformation as the opening to a meeting, and if they continue, you know they are the enemy." The man hesitated, then spoke again, "To the question I asked, the answer would be "Vale". Nothing more, nothing less."

I nodded, "Noted. So where's the leader?"

"Follow me." He turned away. Roman, Neo, and I dropped down the hatch. The man in the bomber jacket was at the end of the hall, near a door. After we approached, he opened it, and walked down a set of stairs.

We went down three levels, then four, then stopped at five. We were completely underground, but the hallways looked like something you would find on the surface. Painted walls, recessed lighting. If not for the lack of windows, I could've sworn we never left the surface.

He led us through some doors and hallways, then into a room with punching bags lining one wall. Currently, there was only one person, a man who was as big as Junior, and apparently had the same taste in suits. He had blond hair, yellow eyes, and a square jaw with a largish nose right above it.

"My lord, the ones Cinder sent are here." The man in the bomber jacket bowed slightly.

"One minute." The man grunted, but even in a grunt I could tell his voice was a smooth tenor. He drove his fist into the punching bag one last time, but his fist tore through the cloth covering it, and into the guts.

After yanking his hand out, the man turned, "Roman, Neo, and Ruby, huh? I always expected someone older when hearing about the Reaper."

"Most people do. They learn their mistake when they see me." I bared my teeth, "And that's the last mistake many of them make."

The man chuckled, "Name's Yates."

"My lord, you cannot trust strangers so soon!" The man in the bomber jacket protested.

"Cinder sent them, so they'll have a _limited_ amount of freedom. But keep an eye on them, Malin." Yate's voice became harder, "Betraying us would be _your_ last mistake, Ruby. Don't even try."

"What my Queen orders, I will obey." I said, "If that means killing you, I will kill you."

"I'd give that fifty-fifty chances." Yates replied, then the other man, Malin snorted.

"I give it a zero percent chance, my lord."

"Show 'em to the rooms and explain the rules here in Atlas, Malin." Yates ordered, turning away, "I''ll be in my office."

Malin led us down another few hallways. This time, we passed a few people. Some were in the White Fang getup, some were wearing suits, and others were wearing black vests over black button down shirts and red ties.

"In Atlas, as you can tell, the military is the government and also the police. Any obvious killings are quickly solved, and almost always catch the right person. Which is why much of the criminal activity is scheming, and quietly murdering the top members of an organization, or making the organization leave their top member and join yours. So you cannot go out in broad daylight to kill somebody. You must plan, lie in wait, and scheme. Those Knights outside will bring you in if you do anything illegal, and they are too many to fight for long." Malin took a breath, "Thus, you must kill quickly and silently. It is best done in a building, leaving your victim lying against a wall, in a closet, sitting down, or other positions that give you time to escape. Daring criminals are dead ones."

Malin stopped outside a row of doors. "Your rooms are the seventh, eighth and ninth. I need you scroll identification number, so I may pass them on to my Lord."

Roman, Neo, and I all told him our numbers, then he walked off. My room had a bed and a dresser, so I started putting the clothes and knives away. Then my scroll buzzed as a message popped up. From Yates.

Malin had given us a map at some point, so I ran over to Yate's office. He was inside, behind a desk.

"I have your first target. She'll be at this nightclub two weeks from now." Yates tapped a picture of a young woman in her late twenties and a nightclub.

Then the door opened again, and Malin walked in. He bowed to Yates, much like I did to Cinder, "My lord, I apologize for my tardiness."

Yates rolled his eyes, "As I was telling Ruby, you're gonna kill Sorela at Tanagra's. Two weeks from now."

"Yas, my lord." Malin straightened up, "By your leave?"

Yates sighed this time, "You can go."

Malin turned and strode out the door. I followed him after a nod from Yates.

"Who is this Sorela?" I asked.

"Sorela Gustava." Malin said, sounding Mexican, "The leader of a criminal organization in Atlas. Not the most powerful, but very powerful."

"Do we know how the nightclub's laid out?" I questioned him.

"Yes. If the establishment built it, Rusty know it." Malin smiled a little, then shook his head, "I am transferring the data to your scroll. . . . now."

I looked down to see a moderately big building on my scroll, with plenty of entrances and exits, "Looks easy."

"_Looks_." Malin replied, looking at me, "This building doesn't _look_ like anything remotely criminal. You don't _look_ like a killer. We must wait until we have facts and a plan."

"Noted. You have a plan yet?"

"An idea of one. I am only a few years older then you are," This isn't good, "as a pair of people entering a club, we would be less suspicious."

"Any VIP areas? Areas a wealthy criminal would enter to conduct her business?

"The small room behind the counter. That should not be a problem as long as we close the door." Malin answered, his eyes distant.

"Good. Now what if. . . ?"

**A/N: Scene change. So yeah, Atlas'll be more secretive and exact, instead of killing people in the open. Raven'll become more important, too.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	12. Chapter 12- Double Kill

**A/N: I've had a poll up on my profile for a while, asking what character's the favorite of all RWBY characters (in the show). It's seven for Ruby, one for Cinder, and one for Ozpin.**

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or it's related content, etc, etc, etc.

Chapter 12- Double Kill

Ruby's POV

Malin and I both had our hoods up, casting a deep shadow over any recognizable facial features. The Knights tolerantly looked for faces, as clothing was to often changed. Traveling that way, we passed under the watchful mechanical eyes of the robots at every street corner, until we eventually got to a large building with a neon sign saying "Tanagra's".

We walked in pulling our hoods down, then joined in the crowd. The man at the record player was blaring out some song that I didn't recognize, but a beat was a beat, and a beat was easy to dance to.

A short time later, Malin bumped into me, then jerked his head upward. The young women from the picture, Sorela Gustava, was talking quietly with a man on an elevated platform. Then Sorela stepped down, and took a roundabout route to the bar. Malin, after the door closed, followed. I stayed at the edge of the crown, discreetly watching until Malin made a very slight gesture.

From there, I walked over to the bar, "Strawberry sunrise. No ice. And keep the little umbrella."

When the barkeep turned, Malin slipped into the room. Some muffled words were exchanged, then I heard someone scream, "I'm Dutch-Irish!"

A few minutes later, I asked for a refill, calling Malin when I did. Malin ducked out while the barkeep was occupied. Then Malin returned to dancing while I stayed at the bar. Half an hour later, Malin exited the nightclub. Another hour after that, I followed him.

My hood up once more, I walked on by the Knights, all the way to a different building, this one a bar, where Malin and I were to meet up again.

"Did it _have_ to be a bar?" I growled as I slid onto a booth next to him.

"Yes." Malin muttered back, "Bars do not question customers, nor do they remember customers. Sorela is dead, and Yates will make a move to merge with her network tomorrow."

"D'you think anyone noticed?" I whispered.

"No. No one at the nightclub was looking in that direction, and even if someone did, the military would not find them."

Together, we stood up, then left the establishment. We walked back to the base, dodging the Knights stationed there, and came in through the hatch.

Malin bowed as we entered Yate's office, "The mission is complete, my lord. Sorela is dead."

"Good. The next leader of her network'll be here tomorrow. You;ill both be here when he arrives." Yates ordered, "Malin, leave us."

Malin stiffened, then bowed and left again. Yates turned to me, "Cinder mentioned Ironwood, and your motivation to kill him. I'm transferring all of my information on Ironwood to your scroll. But don't kill him yet, or my network'll be hunted down and destroyed."

"Of course." I turned and walked out the door. Once outside, I pulled out my scroll again, and opened the data packet Yates had transferred. Date of birth, military careers, past schedules. The list went on, until I opened one that said "Projects"

I saw the Atlesian Paladin, massive airships, and even one curiously marked "Lazer Team". Lazer was five letters, so it couldn't be a team of Huntsmen. . . . .

But one thing was missing. There wasn't a folder marked "Penny" or "Android" or anything like that. Penny was, apparently, top-secret. Ozpin obviously knew, along with Ironwood and his team of men. Now, I thought Mr. Schnee was Penny's "father", but I couldn't say so for sure.

I traced a path from projects he had already completed. Work with artificial limbs to replace those lost in skirmishes. Mechs, like the Paladin. Even artificial organs, to replace those damaged by claw or bullet wounds. Now, I could see them all adding up to his current project. I could even hear a Yang's voice in my head "It all added up to a Penny? Sounds pretty cheap."

I shook that out of my head. Even my memories of Yang made puns. By now, I was sitting in my bed, still searching through the files. Eventually, I came across the Huntsmen school Ironwood ran, creatively named "the Academy". I didn't know how Yates had this much information, but I could even find teams and team names. Team PENY, made of Penny, Elesia, Nyx, and Yanni. No information other then the names, though.

I made a note to check the Academy sometime, then went back to the "Projects" folder. Some part of me was still curious about cool-sounding titles, no matter how much I tried to shut that side of me down. I opened the Lazer Team folder. It was full of schematics, including some kind of arm-gun that worked like Yang's Ember Celica, but made a much bigger boom. Another was some type of helm, with glass over the front. Nothing that gave me much insight on the General, so I closed it, then sighed and shut my scroll.

With nothing much else to do, I started rearranging my knives pointlessly. In the drawer. But even that got boring, so I took out an old standby. The latest WEAPONS magazine.

There was a new iteration of the Flaming Sword, now with little guns in the hilt. Then I saw a another sword, called the Power-Slice. It was Penny's swords, complete with the power symbol on the hilt, and the folding blade. I checked the release date: The beginning of the month. A long time after Penny was created. This was the latest issue, after all. Leafing through, I looked for anything else I might recognize, but the folding swords were it.

Sighing, I closed the magazine, having lost all interest in it, then lay back in my bad. It was well into the night by now, of course. Nightclubs _are_ for nighttime, after all. I didn't want to dream, though, as I knew where it would take me.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

I woke up, gasping. Cold sweat ran down my face as I checked my scroll. Five thirty. Eh, good enough.

I swung myself out of bed, then grabbed Crescent Rose from where it leaned against the wall. In one smooth motion, I shrank it and sheathed it, then walked out the door. From that hallway, I checked my scroll to see where the more "important" areas of the building were.

I wandered around, memorizing the layout and keeping track of the people I see. Then Yates called me at six o' clock. _Come to my office_.

"You got the message." Yates noted, "I thought you'd still be asleep."

"Not me."

"Hmm. This is your next target, and you will be alone." Yates handed me another picture, this one of a middle-aged man.

I nodded, "When should he be dead by?"

"A week." Yates said, "But remember, you don't have to be the one that kills him. It could just a brick, falling from a building, or some other trap."

I turned, then left the room. Let's see. Name: Cliff Hendrix. He had a base about a mile from here, so I sprinted using my Semblance. Covering that mile in a couple minutes, I climbed my way up the side of a two-story building. I couldn't _shoot_ my way up, since the Knights would hear that. I layed there for hours, waiting to see something useful.

Then I saw Cliff himself, on a Bullhead, and heard some snatches of conversation, "Yeah, we're raiding that train tomorrow. Since Dust prices are so high, we need to get it directly."

Another train? Ugg, I thought I was done with trains. Calling it a day, I headed back to Yate's base, planning the operation. There was only one train track, as most people traveling went by airship or Bullhead.

Tomorrow was probably my best chance to kill him, so I started making a plan. If they raided the train inside the city, it was suicide, The only chance was getting on board the train outside the city, then disconnecting a few of the cars.

With that in mind, I started re-planning, knowing that they couldn't stop the train. Nothing could stop this train. In Vale, some idiots moved a dump truck in front of a train to Atlas, but the train just smashed through it and kept going. I couldn't just shove him onto the tracks, could I? Whoever he brought with him would kill me if I did.

What if I just shot him? It'd ping off his Aura. I'd have to shoot very, _very_ quickly. Then another idea came into my head, and I started thinking about how I would enact it.

My scroll vibrated, receiving a message. _Office. Now. Same rules as the throne room._

Quickly, I walked over to the office, then bowed as I stepped in.

"Stand by me left hand." Yates ordered. Raven was standing behind him, and Malin to his right.

After another few minutes, a short man entered the room, his eyes downcast.

"I believe our agreement is complete. You will retain the position of Leader, but all activities will be made through me and my own network." Yates said, "If not, I will contact the next person down, and provide him with your bloody corpse."

I licked my lips at that, which would completely terrify him. Malin, on the other hand, smirked and drew a knife. Raven looked on impassively.

"Yes, my lord." The short man managed to get out, "Your will be done."

"Good. Report back to your own center of power, and wait for my instructions. I feel this could be a long and _profitable_ relationship." The short man nodded, and turned away, but Yates spoke again, "Do not even _think_ of talking to the snakes. I will hear what words you say, and after I dispose of the snakes, I will dispose of you."

The short man gulped, then left. Malin chuckled slightly, "He will not turn against us quite yet, my lord."

"That's what I thought. Raven, Ruby, I'm not holding you here."

I nodded to him, then left. Raven was behind me, but took my arm as soon as we were outside the door, "You don't know about the snakes yet, and I don't have time to teach you. So be alert. Be paranoid. Don't trust anyone, especially the suck-ups, or you could die."

Line Break

Ruby's POV

I was a few miles outside of Atlas, having walked straight out of the city, then ran the rest of the way. In my hand, I had a small, red, brick. Perfect for what I needed to do.

After waiting for what seemed like hours, I heard some laughing and talking, then a group of maybe twenty walked up to the track. Atlas was surrounded by woods, and the train tracks cut right through them. I was hiding in the forest while those twenty were right in the open.

Quickly, I identified Cliff, then crept up behind him, waiting some more. I heard a train bell off in the distance, then saw it approaching. Judging the time was right, I drew back my arm and threw the brick.

It hit the back of Cliff head. His Aura protected him, of course, but he staggered forward, onto the tracks. And in front of the train.

I could barely hear a sound, but Cliff was dead and gone. Then the rest of his team recovered from their shock, and jumped onto the train. I could see them, working quickly and efficiently. They decoupled the second car, so the most of the train fell away losing momentum.

Then, after one of the members pulled out a scroll, Bullheads came in and started taking shipping crates off the train, and flying them away. Not into Atlas, but nearby. It was a well-planned and well-executed mission, I had to admit. Except for the fact that their leader died, that is.

I stepped deeper into the forest, then turned back towards Atlas. I was done here.

**A/N: The snakes will become very important in the coming chapters, by the way. I'm not sure what to do with Raven, though. So. . . yeah.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	13. Chapter 13- Snakes

**A/N: So why don't the snakes have a network of their own? Every other network would team up and kill them.**

Disclaimer: I can't think of anything mildly interesting to say here, so: I do not own RWBY, or any of RT's other works.

Chapter 13- Snakes

Ruby's POV

"What is it?" Yates had called me to his office, a week after the successful killing of Cliff Hendrix.

"The women that replaced Hendrix didn't follow our deal to kill her leader. The snakes have contacted us, and offered to remove both her and her leader. You'll be there when we meet them, along with Malin." Yates said, "Be on guard. They're slippery buggers, that's for sure."

I nodded, "When?"

"Three hours, give or take a few minutes. Meet me on the roof in two and three-quarters."

"I'll be there." I turned away, back to my room. Recently, Yates had gotten a copy of Ironwood's upcoming schedule and important events. With the Vytal Festival tomorrow, there would be a few speeches, and displays of his army.

I, on the other hand, was planning in case I had the opportunity to bring one of his speeches down, and speed the promotion of someone else to General. There was a parade down the main street of the city, ending with a triumphant speech in a square. From there, he would conveniently "run into" some of his subordinates, and talk about how good things were looking in front of the news networks.

All of this was carefully planned, and away from the prying eyes of the public. Politicians, even military ones, wanted to maintain the control they held. Most of the time, it was a good thing, as they could bring plans to fruition that would help their kingdom grow.

There was another file Yates sent me, along with Ironwood's stuff. The snakes.

Inside, there was a collection of text documents. Opening the first one, I saw an outline of what they were. Another criminal organization, but this one operating completely within other networks. They'd put their men and women everywhere, inside our network, inside others, inside the government, inside major corporations. Then they came forward with an offer to kill someone in your way, for a price.

Everyone hated the snakes, mostly since the snakes could be anywhere, anyone. Any snake that was seen or caught was killed, no questions asked. The snake leadership apparently understood this as well, as they continued offering deals to people who've killed their agents. Everyone hated them, but at the same time, everyone used them occasionally, and used them as a threat.

I started looking through their history, trying to look for patterns and such. One thing I noticed was that those snakes would be second or third in their organization, then killed their leader. It made me wonder who in _this _was one of them, and what they were planning. But before I knew it, over two and a half hours passed.

Yates was there, along with Malin.

"So you _never_ go to them?" I asked, "They always come forward with an offer?"

Yates nodded in a short, tense motion, "Yeah. The snakes don't have a base, and any of them we've captured remained silent."

"Maybe I could get one of them to talk." I suggested, "I might know a few tricks that you don't."

"My men won't talk." A voice, cold as ice and hard as rock, spoke from right behind us.

We spun to see a man in a brown hoodie and blue jeans. He had short hair and brown eyes. Whoever he was, I knew I wouldn't be able to pick him out it a club. What he was wearing, his look, was so generic, he could stand a few meters away from me in a crowd, I wouldn't see him.

"Ten thousand for just the women." The man said, "Thirty for their leader. Or, for fifty thousand lien, both of them."

Yates stiffened, then nodded, "Agreed. Both of them. Where should I deliver the money, Mr. . . ?"

The man chuckled slightly, "No names, Mr. Yates. We will contact you after the job is done for our payment."

With that, he turned a jumped off the side of the building, rolling when he hit the ground. Then, he disappeared into the shadows.

"Fifty thousand?" I whistled, "Expensive."

"For two guaranteed kills of a very powerful competitor." Malin replied, "They will be discrete as one can be when one can be with murder, and we will have complete deniability."

"Yep." Yates said, "A fair deal. We've got a deeper pocket here in Atlas then your organization does in Vale. Bit more profitable smuggling, with all the laws here."

"Smuggling?"

"The usual." Yates answered as we turned back, "Rapture, military-scale Dust crystals, various hides and the like."

I raised an eyebrow, "Rapture? How'd you manage that?"

"Some of the border guards get a bit of it whenever a new shipment comes through." Yates replied. Rapture was a dangerous, highly illegal drug that was only non-lethal in _very_ small doses. If taken properly, it was immensely potent.

"Any of them dead?"

"A few." Yates looked at me, "Whenever that happens, we plant the evidence accusing a few of the innocent guards to keep our own safe."

"The Atlesian military are not fools enough to trust border security to their Knights." Malin added, "But to foolish enough to make their human guards stay untainted by our offers."

"How much do they know about what's going on? The police, I mean?" I asked.

"There's no police here. Just the military." Yates stated, "The military knows we exist, but doesn't have the experience to shut us down. We usually subtlety guide them to a the base of one our competition. There's always the chance that they'll find us, though, so we don't manipulate them that often."

"Indeed." Malin said, "When riding a tiger, you may be safe, but you go in the direction the tiger wishes. You might end up with the military in a place your do not wish for them to be, but you can not drive them away. Or, perhaps, our foes will lead them to us."

By then, we were walking back to Yate's office, and the halls were mostly empty. Midnight was approaching quickly, shrouding the city in darkness.

"When do you think those two'll be dead?" I questioned.

"Perhaps a week. Perhaps two." Malin answered, "The snakes may be slower then we would wish, but they give guarantees."

"What if they kill one of you?"

"We have a few precautions in place." Yates glanced behind him as I asked that. Copying him, I saw two people in black vest, black button-downs, and red ties following us, "But they could probably get me, if a bit of luck swing their way."

"Why don't they just control you, under the threat of death?"

"They know where to draw the line." Yate's voice was low, "An assassination is hard to block against, but someone poking a knife into our back to get us to move? We could kill them easily."

"Then why don't they charge a hundred thousand lien, or something higher?"

"Sometimes they do." Malin spoke this time, "We would notify the targets of those snakes. Those targets would be guarded and alert, most of the time stopping the mission. That makes the snakes lower their prices considerably."

"How many deal do you guys have?" I was astonished at all the different levels of agreements and manipulation. There was nothing like this at Vale.

"It's a spiderweb. Each thread is a different deal, and all together, they hold up the spider." Yates turned to his office, "You guys can get back to your rooms, if you want. I don't need you here."

I nodded, then left. Sleep came quickly after I laid down, still in my gear. If there really was this much maneuvering and plotting here, I wouldn't want to be caught weaponless if someone was trying to kill me. Before I actually got into bed, I had carefully balanced a knife on the door handle. If anyone opened it, the knife would fall, making a clamor, which would hopefully wake me up.

Hopefully.

Line Break

Something clanged on the ground, waking me up in a heartbeat. I leaped out of the bed, grabbing Crescent Rose off the floor.

A man in a black vest and brown pants burst into the room with twin knives in his hands. Then another person, this one in all black with a mask jumped in with a knife, and stabbed the first in the back. I pointed Crescent Rose, but the second man stepped back and dropped the knife, "Do not shoot. I am Malin."

Slowly, he took off the mask, "Come. They could be targeting my lord as well."

With that, Malin sprinted down the hallway. I followed after a slight hesitation, and found Malin standing at a spot where the hallway turned left an right. "Go to the office. I will guard his room."

I nodded, then turned left and sprinted down the hall. At the end of it, lights shown under the door to Yate's office, and I could hear someone talking withing. I opened the door, bringing Crescent Rose up to aim at whoever was in there with Yates. Only to find Yates was the only one inside.

"Ruby. Good thing you came here. I knew you could handle that snake." Yates tapped a few things on his control, then the fake conversation stopped.

"How'd you know there was a snake after me?" I asked.

"No, no. I didn't send it. A few minutes ago, three messages entered this part of the compound. One of the brilliant things my precursor put in here was all messages had to be put through a router up on the surface." Yates grinned, "From there, they get to my scroll, then are sent. I saw those messages say to kill you, Malin, and I. I warned Malin, so he killed the first snake, then went to help you with the second. Now, we're waitin' for the third. Go stand at the door, and stay out of sight."

I did as he asked, standing so that the snake wouldn't see me until he actually entered the room. Soon enough, the door opened, and a women who I passed a few times in the hallways strode in.

"Morgan. What's up?" Yates inquired obliviously.

"Nothing much. Just your death." The woman, Morgan, replied and drew a knife with a long, ugly blade.

Yates looked shocked and surprised, "You, Morgan? I never thought it'd be you who killed me."

"Sorry. A job's a job." With that, Morgan lunged forward, and Yates nodded at me.

I drew a knife from my belt and hooked an arm around her throat. The knife cut the tendons of the arm carrying Morgan's own knife, then the hold took effect and Morgan slumped, unconscious.

"Why bother taking her alive?" Yates raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't tried getting a snake to spill her guts before." I answered, "And besides, there aren't very many people here to torture. It's almost boring."

Yates chuckled, "Sure. You have the rooms on your scroll, so get to it. Oh, and get Malin to help you."

I nodded back, then walked out the door. Checking my scroll, I could see the interrogation rooms were on the other side of the building, so I called Malin.

"Status? Is the snake dead?" Malin's voice asked.

"I have her, unconscious. Yates told me to tell you to help me interrogate her." I said.

Malin snorted, "The snakes do not talk."

"Then I'll just have some fun watching her blood drain out." I cut the call, then continued on to the rooms. A few minutes later, Malin arrived and helped me carry Morgan the rest of the way.

Their interrogation rooms were a lot better then the ones I had in Vale. Malin and I strapped her onto the table, then I drew a knife, and took out a bottle of the salt/bleach/alcohol stuff.

"What is that?" Martin studied the bottle, took it from me, dipped a finger in, and inspected it, then tasted it, "Salt. Alcohol. Bleach? Interesting."

"This'll make her talk." I replied, "I think."

Malin shrugged, "Then let us get started."

**A/N: I think my favorite part of writing this is doing the "research." You all know what that means.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	14. Chapter 14- Snake Hunt

**A/N: Last chapter for this week, which is good since this chapter is a good place to leave off. So you'll have to wait a week to get the action. Hah.**

Chapter 14- Snake Hunt

Ruby's POV

Malin stood in front of the strapped-down Morgan, "Who hired you to kill Yates?"

Morgan stayed silent, so Malin nodded at me. I started by making a long from the heel of her foot, after removing her shoes, up and onto the big toe. Morgan's face was completely expressionless, so I dipped my finger in the salt/alcohol/bleach stuff, and rubbed it all along the cut.

Morgan did have a reaction to that, though. Her jaw clenched, and she closed her eyes.

"I really need a name for this stuff." I said.

Malin looked up at me, "Nervesong? It seems to speak to the nerves more than the muscle."

"Nervesong it is, then." I shrugged, then turned back to Morgan and cut off her pinky toe, "You have any gauze or bandages?"

Malin jerked his head, "There is gauze in the box behind you."

"Oh, thanks." I grabbed the box, then put it on the table next to Morgan's chest. Inside was gauze, scalpels, some odd twists of metal that I didn't recognize, and a thin knife. I took out a roll of gauze, then ripped a little off. From there, I soaked it in the nervesong and fastened to the stub that used to be Morgan's pinky toe.

Morgan clenched her jaw, but still didn't make a sound. I glanced at Malin, "Wow. Most people start screaming by now. I could have fun with these snakes for _hours_."

Malin nodded to me, then turned back to Morgan, "Who hired you to kill Yates?"

Still no answer, so I cut off the other pinky toe and put a pad of nervesong-laced gauze on it. This time, Morgan started breathing very slowly and loudly. And that gave me a very _bad_ idea.

"Malin, you hold her jaw open." Malin brusquely jerked her jaws apart, then with regular gauze on two of my fingers, I grabbed her tongue. With a scalpel from the box, I flayed a bit skin off. Morgan tried to bit down, but Malin kept her mouth open. I poured a bit of nervesong on her tongue. Now, after we stepped back, she gasped loudly, and spit. Then Malin punched her right in the mouth after some of the spittle landed on him.

This one was gonna be hard to crack. I started moving faster now, cutting off the part of her pinky where the first joint was and fastening a pad of soaked gauze there, then quickly repeating the process on all of her fingers.

"Who hired you to kill Yates?"

"Frak you." Morgan gasped out, then groaned, "You're gonna fall. Hard. I'm gonna be there. Pushing you."

Malin watched impassively while, with a gripper also in the box, I clamped Morgan's big toe's toenail, and jerked. It ripped off, and Morgan screamed once, then groaned again. I wrapped the gauze around it, bring the soaked wrappings into contact with a very painful part of her body. Morgan's back arched as much as it could. Her hands clenched into fists, but the straps held.

"Who hired you to kill Yates?"

Morgan glared at him, "You frakin' _idiot_. I'll never tell you anything."

"So you know who hired you." Malin said, "Interesting."

"What doe-AAA!" Morgan screamed as I repeated the process with her other big toe.

"Just tell me what I wish to know, and the pain will go away." Malin's voice was calm and soothing.

"Or not." I offered, "There's plenty more of your body to work with."

Morgan shook, or rather, jerked, her head back and forth, so I took out a knife with a straight, rectangular, blade. In a fight, it was a terrible weapon, as it was made for one purpose: To skin off of the muscles below it.

Before long, her feet were completely flesh-less up to her ankles, and Morgan screamed all the more after I started wrapping my gauze around her entire foot.

"Are you ready to answer my questions?" Malin asked, and Morgan started nodding frantically. Malin withdrew a needle and poked it inside of a small glass bottle, then stabbed it into Morgan's neck.

Immediately, she sighed and relaxed, "The man who sent the message was Colt, the leader of us in this sector of the city. Usually, he wears a black trench coat and a black Nevermore mask he stole from the White Fang."

"Who talked to him?" Malin asked.

"Athe." Morgan answered.

"Hmm." Malin kept interrogating Morgan, until he was at last satisfied with the answers, "Kill her."

I stabbed the dagger through Morgan's heart, then slit her jugular. If one of those didn't kill her, the other would.

"Congratulations. That was the first snake to talk, that I know of in recent history." Malin looked at me.

I bowed theatrically, "Always happy to torture someone."

"Come. We must report to Yates." Back in his office, Malin and I sat in chairs facing his desk.

"Athe?" Yates asked, "That's the network _we_ hired the snakes against."

"They got a better offer by twenty thousand lien." Malin replied. Then Yate's scroll vibrated.

"This better be important." Yates growled while pulling out his scroll, then grinned, "It looks like the snakes did both. Athe and that other women are dead. The third-in-charge is now the leader of that network. _And_, this is his picture."

He showed us a man in a brown hoodie and jeans. The same snake that arranged the deal with Yates.

Malin grimaced, "So what will we do?"

"We're goin' snake huntin'." Yates grinned, and drew a long sword from his back.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

"So this is his base?" I asked. Yates was on my left, next to Malin. About three dozen other assorted White Fang and other grunts were with us. We were standing in front of a one story house that looked completely innocent.

"Yep. The HQ itself." Yates replied, "Now, lets see if we can get them to kill the snake without us."

Malin stepped forward and yelled, "Attention the house! Your current leader is a snake who killed Athe! If you do not kill him now, we will!"

There was no reply, so we walked up, and Yates tried to kick the door in. It wouldn't budge, so he gestured to one of the grunts, who set a canister of red Dust on the door, then lit it. Seconds later, the door exploded inward.

"Malin, take your team around the back. Ruby, you're with my until we get downstairs." Yates ordered. Malin nodded, then he and a dozen of the grunts ran around the building.

The building was completely empty, but we could easily see why the door didn't open. Thick metal plates dropped over the door on the inside, locking people in and out.

"Hey, boss!" One of the grunts shouted, "I found it!"

We ran to see the grunt on his hands and knees, looking at the ground, "See? The ground is really scratched around here."

"Good work." Another grunt stuck a crowbar where the scratches were most concentrated, then kicked it. Not surprisingly, the crowbar slid under the trim, then the grunt, along with a few others, grabbed the bar and yanked. An entire section of the wall broke away, revealing a stairway.

"Get Malin back here." Yates ordered one of his henchmen, who raced off, "Follow me."

He ran the down stairs, which we could see were clear of enemies. We all raced after him, then one of the henchman placed another Dust charge on the door at the bottom. It exploded, but only scorch marks showed on the door.

By then, Malin and his team were at the top of the stairs, and slowly walked down, "Do you need me?"

Yates gestured to the door, then Malin nodded and placed a hand on the lock. Something clicked, and the door opened. Now _that's_ a handy Semblance.

No one was on the first floor of the basement, so we kept going. No one on the second. Third. Fourth. Then the screaming started. Up ahead was a crowd of people in the hallways, brandishing some kind of weapon. I ducked a cleaver, then stabbed the wielder with the pointed end of Crescent Rose. Yates was fighting as hard as he could, and people were dying all around him.

"Get clear!" Yates yelled, and grunts took our place, promptly dying and getting replaced, "Too many of them. And too good at fighting."

Then Malin came around him, blood on his hands but with no weapon, "My lord, I must get you out of here. We have information that could grant victory yet."

"We can't leave them!" Yates protested.

"They're already dead, my lord. I must save you, at least." Malin insisted.

Our enemies broke through the line of grunts that they were slaughtering. Yates, Malin, and I started running as fast as we could. Malin yanked open a door ahead of us, and waited for Yates and I to get through, then whispered something.

"That will not hold them for long. I must get you to safety." Malin said.

Yates nodded, "Lead the way."

Malin started running back the way we came. After five flights of stairs, I was exhausted, but we were at the metal door that led back to the "house".

Yates was out of breathe too, but staggered through. Malin slammed the door shut behind us, and whispered, "Withstand."

A dull sheen came over the door, then he cupped the lock with his hand. Another click sounded, then a crunching sound.

"We have a little more time, but we must leave." Malin informed us. Yate's breathing evened out, and he stood up.

"Malin, you take the point. Lead us somewhere safe. Anywhere." Yates ordered. Malin nodded, then jogged out the front door.

We passed the wrecked Atlesian Knights at the street corners, then Malin took a sharp right for a block, then another. Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at a From Dust Till Dawn shop.

Malin opened the door, and we all walked in, then tossed a few lien at the shop keeper here in Atlas. The shopkeeper, a middle-aged woman, immediately turned away, and Malin led us to the back of the shop, and into a closet. Which wasn't a closet after all, but a room with different boxes lining the walls

"We are safe here for the while." Malin said, and sat cross-legged on the floor, "But I found something on a scroll in the network."

Moments later, Yate's scroll beeped, and he opened the message, "Is that. . . ?"

"Yes. I believe it is a list of the snakes in this city." I looked at the list, and saw Morgan, along with the snake that failed to kill me. Along with the man in the brown hoodie. Then some names on the list jumped out at me. Athe Williams. Cliff Hendrix. A picture of the guy I stabbed.

"That network. Look at it." I said, before things connected in my hand, "It's all snakes."

"If we talk to the other networks. . ." Malin started.

"All of them'll kill this one with us." Yates finished, "We need to move fast with this."

"We are not in a good position to do any offensive action yet, my lord." Malin said, "I would suggest you send a message to the others."

Yates nodded, and started typing on the scroll, then showed us the message, "Look what I found in a raid on the formerly Athe network. Is it just me, or is the entire network snakes?"

"I'm also send the list to our guys back at base." Yates informed us, "They'll kill the rest of the snakes that infested our network."

"This will cripple the snakes for a long time. We might even wipe them out in their entirety." Malin looked at Yates, "We will no longer be able to us them."

"But they can't threaten us anymore. I think it's a good trade." I backed up Yate's decision.

Yates thought it over, then sent the message, "By the end of the week, the snakes'll be dead. At least, most of them."

"Good." I replied, "I didn't like them."

**A/N: In case you haven't noticed, I'm making Ruby completely aware of her past and more cheerful/energetic, since in A Burning Rose, Ruby was almost. . . . lethargic, and her past was a distant memory. Thus, Remnant: The Board Game will be making an appearance.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	15. Chapter 15- The Fall of Athe

**A/N: Now, I'm calling Ruby the Reaper instead of the Burning Rose. Just a heads up, if any of you read this. I changed the previous chapters as well.**

Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Roosterteeth, Monty Oum, etc, etc, etc.

Chapter 15- The Fall of Athe

"The other networks are all communicating for a massive raid against the Athe Network." Malin informed us, "Shall we add what remaining weight we have to the attack, or let them kill eachother."

"We'll attack with everyone else. Being known as the Network that didn't help kill snakes'll raise a few eyebrows." Yates replied, "Get our remaining fighters to meet us here."

"Yes, sir." Malin sat, hunched over his scroll, "They will be here in ten minutes. The attack on Athe begins in twenty."

"Perfect." Yates looked at me, "Ruby, scout around here. See if we were followed."

I nodded and walked out the door. I glanced around, noting all the different people, then turned and walked a few blocks away. One person had followed me, doing his best to look generic, but was always facing me, wherever I went. Snake, obviously.

Carefully turning so he wouldn't see, I drew a knife and held it close, then started wandering around until I got close.

"Hey, it's John, right?" I walked up to the man, who I didn't recognize at all, "You see the new Spruce Willis movie?"

The snake looked uncomfortable, then grabbed his arm and stabbed him in the stomach. I pushed him up against the a wall in an alleyway, then left him leaning there. Hopefully, the Knights wouldn't notice. I headed back towards the From Dust Till Dawn shop, but any other snakes kept themselves hidden.

I ducked back inside the room. Malin was still completely focused on his work, Yates looking around warily, "There was at least one snake, who's dead now. I would suggest you stay here until your men come. There could be others."

Minutes later, someone knocked on the door, and said something unintelligible.

"We're safe." Yates said, looking at us, "Let's go."

Yates' men, along with a bunch of White Fang grunts, filed around him, creating a veritable wall of bodies. Malin took the lead, bringing us back to the Athe Network's base. Once there, the sight was breath-taking. Hundreds of people surrounded the house. Atlesian Knights laid dead all around them. I guess the military had been attacking this gathering, but even the military was outnumbered. Due to my. . . . accomplishments in Vale, the Council asked for General Ironwood to send security over. Ironwood himself was still in the city, though.

We added ouselves to the crowd, and a few minutes later, the huge gathering of criminals, thugs, and strongmen pushed inward. They crashed into the house, some even just breaking through the walls. The heavy metal door was still broken, giving little pause to this army. Immediately inside, a score of shots killed the first rank of attackers, then we shot back and the snakes died, ripped apart by our hail of Dust bullets.

We spread through the underground compound, crushing anything and everything in our path. There was no subtly or planning to this, Anyone we saw died. People split off to go down stairs or hallways, explore rooms and slaughter their occupants. It was a massacre more than anything, and I loved it.

Our numbers dwindled as more passages and hallways came up. Gunfire erupted sporadically as we or other teams encountered resistance. No one took prisoners. Surrender was neither offered nor asked for. Nobody, apparently, liked the snakes.

We weren't the first on the deepest level. In fact, when we got there, all the snakes were already dead, lying in the hallways. Yates turned and grinned at us, "I think our work here is done."

We nodded, then turned and walked back up to the surface. Outside the now-ruined facade of a house, there was a small army of assorted Atlesian Knights and Paladins. Yates froze, surveying the situation in front of him, "This. . . . this isn't good."

"It might be better than you think, my lord." Malin pointed to a somewhat tall building behind the army, "The White Fang expected something akin to this happening."

A chain of explosions and flashes of Dust peeled off a section of the building itself, which fell and crushed most of the robots. "Run. I will delay those who are still standing."

Yates nodded, "Follow me!"

He sprinted off in the direction of our base, while Malin walked towards the robots who survived the wreckage and raised his fists. Green light glowed around them, and he suddenly became a blur. Weaving through the Knights, punching and avoiding their weapons, he took on what still amounted to a dangerous number of foes. Malin jerked a rifle out of one Knight's hands, then took cover behind the wreckage of a crushed Paladin as shots came at him.

Calmly, he wove in and out of cover, firing shots and destroying robots. But there were still too many for one person, and the Knights started to flank him. We were out of the zone of danger by then, but Yates ordered me to make sure he got back. Aiming carefully with Crescent Rose, I started picking the Knights off one by one, starting with those flanking Malin. We were about fifty meters apart when a partly damaged Paladin climbed to it's feet and raised it's arm back, in fist mode.

"Malin! Behind you!" I yelled out. The fist hit Malin and threw him towards me, but Malin recovered in mid-air and landed on his feet.

"Time we left." He said curtly, "My thanks for your assistance."

"Your welcome, I guess." With that, we sprinted away. Speed, I'm pretty sure, _isn't_ his Semblance, but what is.

"Turn left at the next crossroads." He ordered, "There will be a police vehicle coming from the right."

"Wha-" I started, then we reach the intersection. Sure enough, a police car started coming after us, "How'd you-"

"That is my Semblance." Malin replied calmly, "I know things."

We ducked into another building, this one a library. Slowing down, we crossed to the other side and walked out the back door into an alley.

"We are safe for the moment." Malin said, "The police will call for more officers."

"Okay. . . so what do we do?" I asked, out of breath while Malin was not even breathing heavily.

Malin shrugged, "Go back home. Yates will have orders for us."

"I'm completely lost! Have _you _been here before?" I said, stating the obvious.

"No." Malin cocked his head, "Our base is twenty blocks to our left. We must go."

Well, his Semblance of "knowing things" is certainly _useful_. Even if I have no idea what it does. Malin strode out of the alleyway confidently, and I followed his lead. Thankfully, my reputation hadn't spread to the public _here_ yet, so no one started screaming.

We passed Knights standing at street corners, only one or two in this more respected section of Atlas, but once we got back to base, there were seven at each street corner, and more in between. Malin leaned close to me and said, "Increased guard after the military was humiliated earlier today. Be careful, as they will shoot to kill if they confirm your identity."

"Um, right." I replied, trying not to glace around nervously.

Malin, for his part, chuckled, "Do not worry, Ruby. If you look nervous, or guilty, the Knights will pay more attention to you. They will not be alarmed if you are confident, if you look like you belong."

"You say that like their people." I commented.

"General Ironwood has made them as lifelike as possible. They are programmed to spot certain emotions, as well as disregard others." Malin informed me, "There are some rumors that he has constructed a robot that appears to be human, acts human, but is artificial."

I tried to look surprised, like I didn't know Penny existed, "What d'you think?"

"I believe it is not within his power to unilaterally create something as advanced as that. The General might be able to, though, if he had some powerful outside assistance." Malin said, "The General, however, has only associated himself with the Schnee Dust Company."

"Could Mr. Schnee and the General do it together?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Malin looked thoughtful for a few moments, "Perhaps. But we are back now, and Yates surely has a task for me to accomplish."

Inside our own base again, I couldn't help but notice the surprising lack of people. A lot of them died during our doomed first attack on the Athe Network, and a few more died in the second. It felt . . . empty, almost. At least we had the White Fang grunts if we didn't have enough thugs.

Yates looked like he never left his office when we arrived there, "Ah, good. You're both alive. Anyone follow you?"

"I do not believe so, my lord." Malin said, bowing. I shook my head and followed suit.

"Even better. You know you guys don't need to bow unless we have a guest, right?" Yates asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You are my Lord. It is right for me to bow." Malin replied, looking puzzled.

I, for my part, shrugged, "I was just copying Malin. He bowed, so I bowed."

Yates laughed, "Malin, don't bow to me unless someone other than us three here. Is that clear?"

"Yes, my lord." Malin began to bow again, but a look from Yates stopped him, "My apologies."

"Formal to the last, eh, Malin?" Yates asked, but Malin kept quite, "I'm not keeping you here."

"Of course, my lord." Malin turned to leave, then another man strode into the room. A man I had seen once before, on a scroll. A man that exuded confidence and authority, even amoung the criminals as he was. Mr. Schnee.

"Aredian." Yates said, looking up calmly, "What brings you to my lair."

"Not you." He replied. I hated him for what he did to Penny, but if I showed it here, I might be killed, "In fact, I'm here for the young lady in front of you."

I stayed silent, so he continued, "I have been informed that those. . . snakes have been decimated, their services. . . curtailed. As such, an operation I would usually contact them for has forced me to look in more. . . . exotic places. Now, as I understand it, this young lady is known as the "Reaper" in Vale, and has eliminated some people in _very_ high places. I would like to contract her skills, for good pay, of course."

"How much?" Yates replied, completely calm.

"Twenty million lien. That is how much this job would cost as usual, with the snakes." Aredian Schnee replied.

"Make that in stock, then you have a deal." Yates ordered. I could see Aredian juggle the possibilities, then nodded. "What is the target?"

"A woman in the ranks of my own company. she is, as you say, ascending the ladder too quickly." Arebian informed us, "So she must be eliminated."

"Of course. But who is she?" Yates pressed.

Aredian grimaced, "Roh Morgan."

Yates winced, "Are you sure you want to do this, Aredian?"

"Yes. I do not walk in here lightly with such a deal." Mr. Schnee said stoically, "It must be done."

"And it will. Pity it's _Morgan_. She showed such promise when you took her under your wing." Yates replied.

"Yes. After failing her psych examinations for the military, I sensed she would make a fine addition to my company. That kind of skill set is not found lying around very often." Aredian closed his eyes, "But without my overwatch, she could die soon. She may take down my entire company with her, though, so she must be removed before then."

"And she will. You will never fear her again." Yates promised. Mr. Schnee walked out of the room again, then the tensed atmosphere relaxed a great deal.

"Her?" Malin asked, cool hatred evident in his voice.

"Yes. Ruby, you will not strike out against Morgan." Yates said, his voice hard, "Is that clear?"

"Yeah. Why?" Clearly, Malin didn't like Morgan, but Morgan wasn't dead. What happened between them?

"We're gonna recruit her."

**A/N: Annnd, the chapter ends. Who is this Roh Morgan? What does she want? And who will she serve?**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	16. Chapter 16- Roh Morgan

**A/N: Some of you are probably confused at what Malin can do. It's simple, he can open locks, reinforce doors, and he "knows things". Kinda like how Glynda Goodwitch can use glyphs, summon storm clouds, has some form of telekinesis, and can shoot those purple tendril things.**

Disclaimer: I'm not Matt Hullum, or whoever owns the rights to RWBY.

Chapter 16- Roh Morgan

Yang's POV

A message popped onto my scroll right in the middle of one of Professor Port's droning stories of his own heroism, which, needless to say, woke me up.

"Ms. Xiao Long, would you please remember to turn off your scroll during class?" Port asked, then continued on with his story without missing a beat, "Now, this Deathstalker was a quick one. It's claws were as fast as lightning, and it's stinger was the essence of ferocity!"

Port's droning faded into the background as my head settled back onto my arms, and I fell asleep again.

_Ruby and I had just come home from Pharos Academy, where we were both attending elementary school._

"_Dad!" I called, "We're home! Is Mom back?"_

_All I heard in return was a sob._

"_Is Da okay?" Ruby asked, relying on me for the answer of course._

"_He's fine, sis. Just go upstairs. I'll go see what it's about." I replied. Then, I was too young to really think about why my father would be crying, but I knew that Ruby shouldn't see._

_I narrowed in on the sobs, until I saw my father, Taiyang Xiao Long, crying over a picture of my mother, "What's wrong? Mom's fine, right?"_

"_I'm so sorry, Yang." He said, hugging me, "Your mother's been missing for two months. She can't be alive anymore."_

"_Mom? Mom's gone?" My bottom lip trembled, and I started crying._

"_I'm sorry, daughter. Summer is with our ancestors. They decided it was her time." Taiyang stopped crying, and was holding me tightly, "Don't cry. Summer's in a better place now."_

I woke when Weiss nudged me and whispered, "What was the message?"

"I can't check it here." I whispered back fiercely, "Let me sleep!"

Weiss backed off. I hadn't gotten much sleep in the nights after our fight with Ruby and Cinder's followers. All the more reason to sleep here.

"_Dad?" I asked. It was a month after Taiyang said Summer Rose was gone, and he had barely moved since then. "Ruby needs you. She needs her father."_

_Taiyang sucked in a breath, "I can't. Every time I see her. . . . it's a reminder that Summer's gone. Then I see you, and it's even worse."_

"_Why?" I questioned him. Now I was hurting after my mother's death, but Ruby didn't seem to understand that Summer wouldn't come back, "I'm your daughter, too."_

_Taiyang closed his eyes, "You're mine, but not Summer's."_

"_What?" The words didn't register for a long time, "Summer's my Mom!"_

"_She isn't. Summer isn't the first love I lost." Taiyang said, his voice shaking, "Before there was Summer, there was your own mother, Calliope. You got your hair and eyes from her. She left right after you were born. All of a sudden, Calliope was gone."_

"_Why? Why would she leave me?" I pleaded for answers, but Taiyang didn't have any. I pestered him for weeks, not believing what he said. Then, I started searching. Our neighbors didn't know anything. We only moved here after Taiyang married Summer. So I started searching harder. I barely slept, barely ate, and was nearly kicked out of Pharos Academy._

_I found things, too. Taiyang grew up in Gauntlet, a different island only a few hundred miles away. He met and fell in love with Calliope at Beacon, and they both moved to Patch. Then Calliope left, and Summer took her place. Taiyang moved from where we were to here once they got married. But I couldn't find anything else on Calliope. _

_Then, I found a broken picture frame on the floor of Taiyang's room. He wasn't there. On the back, it said "Taiyang and Calliope, happily married." It was a house, and I was determined to find it. I showed the picture to anyone who would help. Nothing. Then, by chance, I asked a family who had just moved. They saw it on the way over, and gave me directions._

_I took out my little red wagon, and laid Ruby in the back. Walking for hours. I was getting close. I could feel it. Finally, we made it there. I fell to the ground, dead tired. But I had done it. Glowing red eyes opened inside, and Beowolfs leapt out of the broken-down door. Then a flash of steel, and the Beowolfs were dead._

"_What are you doing so far away from home, niece? This was incredibly dangerous." He told me. In my dream, he was twenty or so, the same age he was at that time. His hair was as wild as ever, though, "I'm taking you home."_

_Despite my protests, I was picked up and put in the wagon behind Ruby, then Qrow pulled us all the way back home._

The bell dismissing class startled me out of my dream. The three of us in team RWBY bolted out the door. I checked my scroll to find a message from Qrow. "I need to see you all. I'll be outside Beacon twenty minutes after your class ends. Bring your gear."

I shared the message with my teammates, and Blake was the first to speak, "This sounds important. There haven't been any gruesome deaths in Vale for a while. This could give us more information."

We both looked at Weiss, which made her say, "Why am I always the one you expect to be against you? We're a team. We do things together."

Twenty minutes later, we were standing on the path up to the front doors of Beacon. Qrow landed in a Bullhead, then jumped out and ran over to us.

"Look what I found." Qrow showed us a picture of a man dead on his scroll. But what really caught my attention was the rose symbol cut into his neck, "This was on the news in _Atlas_."

"So that's where she is." I said. Atlas? What's she doing there?

"That's. . ." Weiss looked thoughtful for a few seconds, "Sifix. Sifix Hendrixson. He works at the SDC, under Roh Morgan."

"Who's Morgan?" Qrow asked Weiss, "What does she do?"

"Morgan was the one who overlooked the more. . . . unclean parts of my father's company. Sifix made her schedule." Weiss replied, "But what would someone get from killing Sifix?"

I shrugged, but Blake spoke up, "You said it. Her schedule."

"Oh." Qrow said in a very small voice, "So the target wasn't Sifix, but Morgan. Get on the Bullhead. I already cleared it with Ozpin. We're going to Atlas."

Line Break

Ruby's POV

I watched as Yates put a ring on each of his fingers that fused into brass knuckles when he wanted to punch.

"Expecting trouble?" I asked.

"Nothing we can't handle." Yates replied, "Between the two of us, we can prevent things from getting out of hand."

I froze, "I just killed her assistant!"

"She never liked Sifix." Yates said diffidently, "Morgan might even thank us."

"But why would _join_ us?" I questioned him.

Yates sighed, "She couldn't find any honest work with her skill set. Most of the other networks wouldn't take her on the account that she's a borderline psycho. I gave her a job here, then helped her into the SDC. Morgan never forgot that debt. Now that Aredian wants her dead, it'll be even easier to convince her to leave."

"Ok. Now she should be at meeting, but in thirty minutes, she'll be going back to SDC HQ." I informed him.

"Her own car, or the company's?" Yates asked.

"Company's. Mr. Schnee wants to keep an eye on her, so know she has a chauffeur." I answered.

"Think I'd look good as a chauffeur?" We walked out, and over to the building her meeting was being held. Outside were more then a dozen cars, two of them bearing the Schnee Dust Company logo.

"Are you Morgan's driver? I need to deliver a sensative message." Yates questioned one of the chauffeurs.

The chauffeur made a negative symbol, and gestured to the other car. Yates opened the passenger side door, then punched the driver in the point of the jaw. Waiting until the first chauffeur looked away, he put the body in the trunk and I entered the back row of seats. After another fifteen minutes, a slim woman, about as old as Malin, walked out the door. She had black hair pulled back into a ponytail that went a bit past her shoulders, deep blue eyes, and was wearing a black outfit that looked a little tight, but wasn't exactly form fitting.

Moving quickly, like a panther, she opened the door opposite of me and sat down. Then, I was pinned against the back of the seat in front of me, my arm twisted painfully against my back while she held a knife against Yates' throat.

"Long time no see, Morgan." Yates said, using the tip of the finger to push the knife away from his throat. Morgan relaxed somewhat, but my arm remained in the same hold.

"What are you doing here, sir?" She asked.

"I see the military training hasn't worn off." Yates replied, looking in the mirror back at us, "I have a proposition for you."

"What is it? Can I finally get out of that company and back to your network, sir?"

"I thought you liked it here." Yates stated.

"You asked me to join the company, sir. So, I did. Didn't like it here, though." Morgan replied, "Is that a yes?"

"Well, yeah. Arebian just hired us to kill you, so I'm bringing you back to the fold." Yates admitted, "I thought I'd have to convince you, though."

Morgan snorted, "You don't, sir. As always, my loyalty rests with you. Gotten rid of that slug Malin yet?"

"No, Morgan. He'll be with us for a while yet." Yates pulled out of the parking, then spoke sharply, "_Don't_ get any ideas, Roh. I need him alive."

"If you say so, sir." Morgan said, "Who's the new girl?"

"Ruby Rose. She's just visiting, from Vale." Yates responded, "Can you let go of her? Ruby isn't going to harm me."

"Will you?" Morgan asked, glaring into my eyes. I saw something wild and most definatly dangerous

"Not unless Cinder orders it." I replied, "And if that order comes through, your first clue'll be your bosses body."

Morgan grinned and released me, "I like your style. But no. You wouldn't even get _close_ to him. You'll be dead before you reach even two rooms away from him."

I snorted, but leaned back in my chair and kept silent.

"So, will this count as killing me?" Morgan asked.

"You're dead, Morgan. It counts, especially since we're getting twenty million lien in stock from it." Yates answered, "Arebian will never know you're alive."

"Good. Can I pay him a visit if you ever decide the SDC needs a change in leadership, sir?" Morgan chuckled, "I didn't like him."

"Yeah, you'll be the first person I call." Yates pulled up next to our base, "And here's our stop."

He stop, then we all got out. Then, one of Yates' men came out of the house, got into the car, and drove off, "Your room's where it always is, by the way. Oh, and their aren't any snakes here anymore. We've killed most of them."

"Well done, sir." Morgan cracked her knuckles, then her neck, "They were never as good as me, though."

"Remember where to cut the line with Malin." Yates warned her, "If he shows up dead inside of the base, I'm cutting my loses. Understood?"

"Perfectly, sir. Can't wait to get into my old clothes. These are too formal, too constricting."

"Report to my office when you're done." Yates ordered, "Ruby, you're with me."

Morgan nodded and walked off once we got downstairs while I followed Yates back to his office, "Don't provoke her, Ruby. She's can kill you. Not easily, but if Morgan attacks you, you won't live. And I don't want to explain to Cinder why one of my people killed her favorite assassin."

**A/N: Roh Morgan. Haven't decided on her Semblance yet, but you'll see why she was judged borderline psychotic right after joining the Atlesian Military. No, there isn't going to be anything between Malin and Morgan. Next chapter, I'll get into what Roman, Neo, and Raven are doing (hopefully).**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	17. Chapter 17- Elimination

**A/N: If I ever call Morgan "Morgana", please ignore it or notify me. I'm watching _Merlin_ (the TV show) in the background.**

Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Monty Oum, Matt Hullum, Miles Luna, or whoever it is.

Chapter 17- Elimination

Ruby's POV

"If Cinder orders me to attack Morgan, Malin, or even you, I will." I said to Yates, "And will try it until I die."

"I know you will. But if Malin doesn't stop you, Morgan will." Yates assured me, "They are two sides of the same card. Malin would kill you with absolute calm and a good reason. Morgan would kill you with fire in her veins and again, a good reason. Oh, and if you see them fighting, don't interfere. You might get caught in the crossfire."

"Okay." I replied, "Do you still need me?"

Yates shook his head, so I left and returned to my room. Once there, I took out my scroll and composed a short message to Cinder.

_Yates has gained twenty million lien in stock of the SDC. A woman, Roh Morgan, has joined his ranks after a time in the company itself. She's dangerous, military-trained and borderline psychotic. In addition, those known as "snakes" in Atlas have just been nearly completely eliminated. Another man, Brandon Malin, is also very dangerous but completely stable. Morgan and Malin hate each other, but they are both loyal to Yates. Yates does not appear to prefer one to the other. Instructions?_

I sent the message, then laid back in my bed. Morgan wouldn't be an easy target. Neither would Malin. Each of them might be able to beat me, and together, they would crush me. If Yates' statements were anything to go by, anyways.

My scroll buzzed with another message, this one from Yates, summoning me to his office. When I got there, Malin and Morgan were already present.

"Now that you're all here." Yates started, "We can begin. After the military's attempt attack us just following the destruction of the Athe Network, the other networks are all planning to get revenge. They're planning to attack the supply depots, armories, factories, you name it. Which is why I'm sending one of you on each raid I catch wind of. Make sure the leader dies, so I can negotiate merging our networks."

I didn't get the whole "your leader died so you have to join us" thing, but as long as Yates says it will work, it'll probably work. Morgan had changed out of the clothes she wore at the SDC, and now was wearing a skintight black outfit that covered her entirely except for her hands, feet, and head.

"Morgan, you get the first. A raid on the warehouse ten blocks from here. It starts in," Yates checked his watch, "Two hours. Malin, yours is an attempt to blow up a factory in half a day. Ruby, you get an armory in a day or so."

We all nodded, then walked away. Morgan was the first one to speak, "So he hasn't gotten rid of you yet."

"Nor you. Yates will get rid of you, who is very nearly insane, a long time before I." Malin replied, "Quite frankly, I cannot understand why he keeps you around."

"'Cause you aren't as good as you think you are, so I need to pick up the slack. Now that I'm back, Yates could always replace you with a gerbil. Or maybe a guinea pig. Something cute, small, and furry."

"Yates can always replace you with a rock. No one would notice the difference." Malin's voice was as cool as ever, but I could feel the tension between the two of them. Thier hands were making minute changes in position and form, and I had no idea why.

"Me? A rock? A rock can't kill snakes."

"So? Yates would keep you around for decoration. Or perhaps to kick around when he gets angry or bored." Malin and Morgan were stopped now, glaring at each other, "You have not kill as many snakes as I."

"Yeah, I've got more kills. You're to afraid to come with me on most of those missions, after all." Morgan smiled like a cat waiting for its prey.

"Your missions were much more insignificant than mine. Yates always did order me away before I wasted my time." Malin was waiting as well, "But you were never observant enough to notice."

Morgan's hand arced down, but Malin deflected it and launched a strike of his own. I stepped back as they kept fighting, both of them moving too fast for me to follow. A few minutes later, they were suddenly still again. Morgan had her right hand locked around Malin's left wrist, and Malin had the same grip on Morgan's left wrist. They were both straining against each other. Morgan tried a kick, but Malin blocked it with a raised knee. Black eyes filled with fury and hate met cool and calm blue ones.

I cleared my throat, "You have something to do, Morgan. If you mess it up 'cause you were fighting Malin here, I'd imagine he'd make fun of you to no end."

"Ehh, fine." Morgan released Malin, and after a few second, Malin did the same. She strode off with a contented smirk, like a cat who had gotten exactly what she wanted.

"Do not provoke Morgan like I did." Malin said as we watched her walk away, "You do not know how she fights, or the tricks that she uses. You are excellent with your scythe, but that is not so with your hands."

Line Break

Morgan's POV

There were twenty of them, all armed with rifles and cleaver-like swords. Easy enough to handle.

Moving quickly, I dropped from the roof without a sound, then caught the nearest one in a sleeper hold. After a few seconds, it took effect and I moved inwards. The leader of the network was part of this raid. An unspoken rule in the underworld of Atlas: In a raid for revenge, the leader has to be there.

Moving quietly, I saw them stopped a dozen Knight. The men, Griffon's men, if the person leading them was Griffon, attacked. Carefully, I let out a burst of shots at Griffon himself, hoping that both the noise of the shots and the drop to his aura would be attributed to the Knights. Soon enough, all the robots were twitching on the ground, so I moved on, following them.

They were stopped again by Knights, this time fifteen of them. This fight lasted a lot longer then a previous, and I had put so many rounds into him, his aura should be pretty low. Inside, the remaining twelve members of that raiding party started throwing red Dust charges all over the place, fastening them to the more weakly armored joints of the Atlesian Paladins there. Once there were charges on all of the load bearing columns, they all ran out and detonated it. I fired off one last burst of fire, and Griffon slumped to the ground, his throat torn open. Mission accomplished.

Now all I have to do is hope Malin'll fail his.

Line Break

Malin's POV

A manufacturing plant that was churning out Atlesian Knight night and day. Then those Knights were shipped off to wherever Atlas needed more troops. Making robots was a long and arduous process, however. Only a few were made per day, but there were hundreds of these factories.

Security was very lax here. Destroying this factory would not do much but send a message to the military. Which is exactly what the ten men in dark, but inconspicuous clothing were doing. Two Knights at the entrance to the factory were sliced apart, and so I un-slung a rifle. Each bullet was filled with red Dust. Explosive and very powerful in the size of rounds I was using.

Holding it up to my shoulder, I peered through the scope. I was lying on my belly on top of a building overlooking the factory itself. There was only one real entrance to the factory. The other was locked, and they would not go through the effort of opening that door unless it was necessary.

Ten minutes and forty three seconds later, the same ten men walked out of the building. Their leader, Bartholomew White, was the third one back. No armor around the throat. Taking careful aim, I centered the sights on the throat of the leader of the White Network, and fired. His throat was ripped apart, then the other men with him rushed over. Too late. There was no way to heal an injury that grievous. My job was done. Pity the job Morgan had was completed as well.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

"Well, well, what do we have here?" I whispered as I looked down Crescent Rose's sights. The armory was the only building in front me. It was heavily guarded by Knights, along with Paladins posted around the perimeter. It was the biggest stockpile of military equipment and robots in the Remnant, after all. Also had the largest amounts of explosives, and I had a big, red, button in my pocket.

More then seventy men approached the building. The Paladins turned to them, then slumped suddenly, powering down. What? How'd they manage that? Some kind of virus? They weren't so luck with the Knights, who turned to face them.

The resulting battle was brief and very bloody. All of the Knights, around fifty of them, were demolished by the attacking network. At the same time, however, at least forty of the men died. Thirty would be caught in the explosion, then. One of them was a real fighter though. With twin axes, he destroyed more then anyone else on the battlefield. My target.

They all had their weapons ready when they entered the armory. Sticking a hand in my pocket, I withdrew the button, then waited a few minutes. By know, those people were probably all across the building. Perfect.

The explosives went off with a dull thump that I could hear from several buildings away. Those explosives were tied to every load-bearing column, along with all the stockpiles. The armory was mostly underground, only one story visible to the naked eye. Slowly, the whole thing collapsed downwards, taking everyone and everything inside with it.

Pity there wasn't any blood, though. I missed the murdering I could get away with in Vale. Not in Atlas, though. Sighing, I ran across the rooftops back to Yates' base. Malin and Morgan hadn't stopped subtly and not-so-subtly insulting each other. It'll be a long day after I get back.

**A/N: Yes, I will be comparing Morgan to a cat quite a bit. Not Joe, though. Oh, and Griffon's just a name I made up. Geoff's wife isn't a part of this in any way, shape, form, or intention. Oh, and sorry for all the high-tech stuff with viruses. That won't happen much.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	18. Chapter 18- Return to Vale

**A/N: I really should've put more thought into this story before I started it. And now I'm paying the price.**

Disclaimer: I'm not Roosterteeth.

Chapter 18- Return to Vale

Ruby's POV

"How'd it go?" Yates asked as I walked into his office.

"The target is dead and the biggest armory in Remnant is a crater." I replied, "How about the other two networks? And how _does_ that work?"

After Morgan and Malin returned from their mission, Yates had been locked up with representatives of the two networks that were recently leaderless, and I still had no idea why.

Yates shrugged his massive shoulders. "Just how we've done things for years. If the leader of a network's killed, and another network can step forward with proof that they've killed the leader of the first network, the second network negotiates it's integration into the first. It's pragmatic: That second network was able to beat the first, thus the second is better. The better networks earn more profit, so the first network joins the second. Completely destroying a network is rare, and nobody likes the leader who made that decision. Thus, what happened to Athe's network is quite a rarity. Thanks to you, Morgan, and Malin, I'll have four more networks adding their weight to mine."

"How much of an impact is that?" I questioned Yates, wanting more information.

Yates grinned, "A very large impact. There were six really big networks. Bartholomew's, Gustava's, Athe's, Kishel's, Meckinzie's, and mine. Malin killed Bartholomew, Morgan did the same for Kishel on these raids. You of course, got Meckinzie. Athe and his network's demolished now, and you know what happened to Gustava. Which leaves me, with the might of five of those six networks. Now, I pretty much rule the roost, especially with the snakes mostly dead. It's a good feeling."

"So now what do you do?"

"I start playing the corporations," Yates stretched back, putting his hands behind his head and kicking his feet up on the desk, "Now that I have a monopoly on crime, there's all sorts of profits, threats, and alliances to be made. Of course, the smaller networks won't like it, but I'm putting out ultimatums and offers to join us. I'll control the criminals and the White Fang, just as Cinder does in Vale."

"The military? Ironwood?" I pressed.

"Ironwood?" Yates laughed, "Easy. If you control the SDC, you control him. And, thanks to Morgan, we have plenty of tools to make sure the SDC is mine. All those people scurrying on the streets? They don't have a clue."

"Be careful, Yates. Arrogance will be your death, especially if Cinder gets tired of you." I warned. Yates nodded, and subsided.

"I know. Too much power will make me think I'm invincible. But it's so bloody hard not to. I'm one of the most powerful men in the city, right up there with General Ironwood and Aredian Schnee." Yates' grin widened, "Pity that I never liked gold. I have a feeling I'll be getting plenty of lien, and nothing to spend it on."

"You can always help whoever's in Mistral and Vacuo." I suggested, "We have two of the kingdoms, but Cinder doesn't want war. Neither do you, so it would be in the best intrests of everyone if you start putting some funds in that direction."

"Good idea." Yates acknowledged, "Not quite there yet, though. Within a year, I think. Now, I think I've kept you here long enough. And I'm pretty sure you have an update to send to Cinder. Nothing's secret that happens here, Ruby. Or at least, not to me."

I nodded, and left the room. Outside, Malin and Morgan both had knives at each other's throats. These days, it was a common occurrence, so I just walked by calmly. Then my scroll buzzed. Cinder

_Get back here with Roman and Neo as soon as possible. Whatever you're doing, stop it and return to Vale._

I ran to where our Bullhead was grounded, swinging by my room to pick up my stuff as I sent short messages to Roman and Neo. In the days I was here, Roman and Neo had done some work with the smaller networks, stealing from them and sabotaging whatever they were doing.

A few minutes after I got in, Neo and Roman arrived. Roman took the piloting seat, then we lifted up and flew off.

"Fasten your seat belts, ladies. I give _rough_ rides." Roman said over the speaker. Neo and I braced ourselves, then another voice came over the radio.

"Attention Bullhead leaving Atlas. Return to designated flight paths and departure times or you will be fired upon."

The military airships were back, and this time, they looked serious. Roman growled and called, "Neo! Get'em!"

Neo opened the side door and stepped out near the edge. I raised Crescent Rose in rifle form, but I wouldn't score any hits with all the turbulence. Then I saw three other Bullheads, each with a Neo, Ruby, and Roman of their own weaving around. The airship pilots were probably as confused as I was, since they stopped firing. That was short-lived however, as they started shooting again. First one illusion shattered, then another. Before they could either hit us or the third illusionary Bullhead, they pulled off and headed back for the city.

"Looks like the rough ride's over, ladies. Hope you enjoy your flight." Roman's voice came over the intercom again, then Neo slumped to the deck, unconscious.

After checking her for a bullet hole, I looked at her scroll. Neo's Aura was dangerously low. Those illusions must've taken a lot of effort to. . . summon? Conjure? Make appear?

The rest of the flight to Vale was straight a simple. No military airships protecting the city, although Ironwood's security hadn't left yet. If only Ironwood was still here. . . .

Line Break

Yang's POV

"Where are you!" I howled up at the sky. Days in Atlas, and nothing. No more murders, no sign of Ruby.

"She's inside the city. It's an insane risk to try to get in or out without being caught be security." Qrow replied, "I don't know how she got here in the first place, but we'll find my niece."

Qrow, Weiss, Blake, and I were staying in an apartment. Blake was out trying to find some information from the White Fang, while Weiss was visiting her father in his tower. He has a _tower_.

The door opened and Weiss walked in. Qrow and I got to our feet, "How did it go?"

"More dust robberies. Roh Morgan disappeared, but Father didn't look to worried about it." Weiss replied, "The White Fang haven't been killing his employees as much, or doing any real sabotage. They almost gone silent."

"Weird." I commented, "Think they're up to something?"

"Probably. Not something as big as the train, though. That kinda thing would get caught in Atlas. Here, things are more under-the-table. Manipulation, bribery. That kind of thing." Qrow answered. "At least in Vale, you can see who's killing who and guess their intentions. Here, it's completely secret. Has to be."

"Why?" I asked, "I mean, what stops them?"

"Did you see the Knights on each street corner?" Qrow replied, and I nodded, "Any hint of a crime, they step in."

"Do they just arrest everyone?" How do people live with that? Qrow didn't seem to look angry, though.

"No. They're actually pretty good at arresting any crime-doers." Qrow said, "The citizens, at least the law-abiding ones, are completely safe. Try not to get into any fights. Robots aren't very gentle."

"Noted, I guess." Then Blake walked in, looking dejected.

"Nothing?" Qrow guessed.

Blake shook her head, "I couldn't even find a rally."

"That isn't good." Qrow replied, "What could the White Fang do here in Atlas? There're too many eyes watching."

"I know. What about the criminals here?" Blake asked, "They would not sit by with the White Fang."

"The networks would never work together unless snakes are involved." Qrow muttered, then looked up, "What was the first thing Vale's "Queen" did?"

"United the criminal factions and ally with the White Fang." I said, "Oh."

"Yep. If their's another "Queen" here, she's already very powerful. With a monopoly on crime, particularly _this_ city's crime, they can threaten anyone. Their leader would be one of the most powerful people in the city."

"And he or she has Ruby. Is it the same Queen?" Blake stood up and looked out the window.

"Most likely not." Qrow responded, "Overseeing the affairs in Vale would be hard enough. Atlas' crime is much more complex, and so it is _very_ hard to run."

"How d'you so much about it?" This time, I was the one asking.

"You should've seen me in my younger days. Around the time you were born, maybe a few years on either side, I was a bona fide Huntsman. Ozpin heard of a threat in Atlas, so I let myself be recruited by a network. Yelin Noor's. Despite being a criminal, he was a good man. Yelin inspired loyalty in his men, especially his second-in-command, Drakon Yates. I actually became pretty good friends with Yates."

"Does he know anything?" Weiss demanded.

"Most likely, but I have no way to contact him. My cover wasn't blown, so he wouldn't kill me out of hand. Again, I don't know where he is or how to call him." Qrow said frustratingly.

"That _I_ can help you with." Weiss replied, then tossed her scroll onto the bed, "Father visited this place, and as you can see, it isn't in the most upper-class district."

"True. Whoever's there could lead us to Yates. Let's go." Qrow pulled on his cloak and led the way out the door.

Qrow seemed to know where he was going, navigating the streets with ease. I was completely lost within the first two blocks. Soon enough, we were in front of the building Mr. Schnee walked into.

"I'll go in alone. You wait out here." Qrow ordered. I opened my mouth to protest, but the look he gave me closed it.

Qrow's POV

I walked in the front door of the building, where a young women sat at a desk.

"Hello sir, and welcome to Drakon Insurance." she said.

"Insurance? What kind?" I asked. Drakon? Was he here?"

"We offer the best rates for damages suffered during robberies or vandalism." She smiled, as if she just made a joke.

"I'm looking for the Yelin Network." I said suddenly.

The young women looked startled, then said, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"You heard me." My voice was low and soft, "Yelin. Where is he?"

"Yelin's dead." She replied, then a side door opened and two men came out.

"Wigel and Wischter." I turned to them, "Is that _really_ you?"

"Qrow? What are you doing here?" Wigel, the man on the left, asked.

"Well, my plans at Vale didn't go so well." I replied, "I was wondering if there was still some dishonest work here."

Wischter laughed, "There certainly is."

"What about Yelin? She said he was dead." I gestured over my shoulder at the young women.

"Yeah, yeah, he is." Wischter spoke, "Snake got him. Yates is running this house now."

"Even better." Well, I didn't expect Aredian Schnee to go to _Drakon Yates_ for help, but I guess anythings possible. Wischter and Wigel led the way down the hallways until we reached a room, one that said "Office" on it. "In here?"

Wischter nodded, then I knocked, "Enter."

Inside, Yates was sitting behind a desk, glaring at his scroll. He spoke without looking up, "What is it?"

"I need a favor." I replied.

Yates looked up, shocked, "Qrow! Good to see you again. What d'you need?"

"Some information. Are you aware that a young women called "the Reaper" is in Atlas?" I asked.

"Used to be. Isn't anymore." Yates replied shortly, "Why?"

"I'm looking for her. I have a message that's very sensitive to deliver. No one knows her number, and no one knows how to contact her. I'm trying to chase her down." The lies and half-lies rolled easily off my tongue. "Do you have any ideas where she is?"

Yates looked at me, "You realize I'm only telling you this because I trust that you won't use the information to betray those who gave it to you."

"Yes. I do." This might be bad. . . . . and extremely helpful.

"She's in Vale. Ruby Rose is her name. Rose. . . . ah. Niece?" I nodded, "She works for Cinder, the "Queen" of Vale. I'll send you everything I know about her, but she is quiet. Ruby hasn't given away much."

Cinder's the Queen? Okay, then. Ruby wasn't the quiet type, but then, she wasn't the killing type either. What had Cinder done to her? Moments later, my scroll buzzed.

"Thank you, Yates. I haven't seen my niece in years." I said. Another not-quite-lie.

Yates chuckled, "She seems to have taken up your profession."

"That she has. I must go, sorry." I turned towards the door.

"Tell me if you ever need a job again." Yates called. Minutes later, I was up on the street again.

"We have some work to do." I said to the three Huntresses, "She's in Vale.

**A/N: You know, I really like good guys being evil. Dark Ruby, Morgana, Luke, Arramos, Kilgharrah etc, etc, etc. I have another poll up, if any of you are interested in what story I should start next.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	19. Chapter 19- Planning for a Fight

**A/N: You know, I originally had planned for this story to end with Ruby killing Ironwood and making Penny get away from him, but now I don't know.**

Disclaimer: I can't think of anything different to say this time.

Chapter 19- Planning for a Fight

Ruby's POV

"My Queen." I bowed to Cinder, who was sitting on her throne with calm dignity, "Why have you called me back?"

"We have a problem." Cinder stated, "Without the constant murders, some of our friends have reneged in their agreements."

"What will you have me do, my Queen?"

"I will send you a list, which must be completed with haste. Do not waste time." Cinder ordered.

I bowed again, "Of course, my Queen."

Soon, I was back in my old room, glaring down at a short list of names. All of which had apparently displeased Cinder in some way, and all would have to be killed. The first one was Richard Wrong, a man who had murdered and back-stabbed his way to the top, and now that I wasn't there to keep him in line, he was trying to do the same to Cinder.

I walked out of the base, enjoying the feeling of being free of the Knights. Here, I could get away with murdering someone in a back alley. Here, I could run across the rooftops without being arrested.

I climbed up the side of a building, making my way to were a gang usually hung out. They were there, of course, with Wrong laughing and scaring occasional passerby. Quietly, I dropped from the roof, rolling as I hit the ground. The alley they were in had a wall in the back. Now, I had blocked their only way of escaping. Most of the seven-member gang tried to climb up the wall as I leisurely walked forward, twirling my scythe.

The first one drew a sword. Too late though, as my scythe beheaded him. The second had a cleaver out, and swung recklessly. It clanged off the shaft of my scythe, then I buried the tip of Crescent Rose into his chest. The third actually fainted as I approached. I killed him quickly and moved on to the fourth, a woman maybe twenty-two years old. She fought me for maybe ten seconds or so before dying. The fifth and sixth attacked me together. I blocked a sword and ducked an axe, then kicked one man in the knee while drawing a knife and stabbing the other. Which left Richard Wrong.

"I-I'll p-pay double! Tri-triple!" He pleaded, his arms above his head.

I cocked my head, making it look like I was thinking, "No, I don't think so. Your death should be a fitting payment."

Richard screamed once as my scythe whistled through the air, parting his head from his body. Richard Wrong, check. Next was Finbar Johnston.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

Tom Hornigold laid on the floor, his arms gone as well as his legs. That left one person Carlson Thatch. The leader of a small group of White Fang. Vicious, ruthless, and quite deadly. I strode out of the one-story building that was Hornigold's resting place, and turned left. Carlson should be only a few blocks away, in a storm shelter.

This time, I walked through the streets. My hood was up and my cloak pulled tight around me. No one looked at me with terror as I walked through them, I was a wolf in a flock of fat, ignorant sheep.

Soon enough, I arrived at a large hatch. Opening it, I strode inside. White Fang members looked at me, afraid but not particularly fearing for their lives. It was their leader that needed to be killed after all, not them. At one end of the shelter was a small room that used to be used to store food. Now Carlson used it as an office. He looked up as I entered, seemingly unconcerned.

"So, Cinder sent her little _pet_ to kill me." Carlson said calmly, "Pity. Kill her."

Nothing happened, so Carlson growled, "_Kill her_.Now!"

This time, a woman dropped down from the ceiling behind him, "Sorry. I follow the _Queen's_ orders, not your's."

Then she drew a dagger and slit his throat. Well, that was easy, to say the least. "Who are you?"

"Jocelyn." She replied, "Call me Jose."

"I'll put in a good word for you with my Queen. Thanks for not killing me, by the way." I added.

Jose shrugged, "You're welcome. Anyone else on that list of yours?"

I froze, "How d'you know?"

"I have my ways. Ways that, once you know about them, you'll seal up." Jose said mysteriously, "I hope I'll see you again."

"And I'm guessing you will." I nodded to her, "Have a nice day."

I left the shelter the same way I came in, all of the White Fang not even glancing in my direction as I walked through them. A day's work, I guess.

Line Break

Ruby's POV

"Everyone on the list is dead, my Queen, and there was a woman, Jocelyn, who proved her loyalty to you along with her skill."

"Good. Jocelyn, you say? I will remember that. Due to our friends in the Vale News Network, you recent . . . . . activities will hit the news within the hour." Cinder smiled, "We should have no more trouble with foolish people who think I am weak.I have no more tasks for you. You may leave."

I nodded and turned away, going back to my room. Once there, I put my knives back in the drawer, then my scroll buzzed. It was a message from Yates.

_Qrow, an old friend of mine, wants to meet you. I've sent him to Vale with some information. He is your uncle, Ruby._

Qrow and Yates were friends? What information did Yates give him? Our new base? I need to get this to Cinder. She'll know what to do.

Soon, I was back to the throne room, but the door was shut and locked. I could hear Cinder and someone else talking. Waiting impatiently, I tried to think of what Qrow would do. Come after me alone or with team RWBY? With an army of robots and Huntsmen at his back? Quickly, I went to a window and glanced in the direction of Beacon. Sure enough, the massive airships that General Ironwood had provided for security were still there.

Behind me, the door to the throne room opened to reveal a man in a black suit and tie. He, whoever he was, strode out of our base confidently. No one tried to stop him, and he wasn't walking with any kind of escort.

"My Queen." I bowed, "There is some news that you should know."

Cinder glanced up from her scroll, "What?"

"Qrow, my uncle and leading a search for me, is an old friend of Yates, my Queen. Yates told him I was in Vale, and gave him some "information"." I paused, "I don't know what's in that information, though."

Cinder froze, "Qrow could come here with the General's army behind him."

"Yes, my Queen." I replied, "What will we do?"

"Gather our allies, and anyone you think can be trusted." Cinder ordered.

I bowed and left the room. Once outside, I composed a short message and sent it to everyone I thought would help us. The entirety of the White Fang, along with most of the criminals in the city. Between them and the Atlesian Paladins Cinder had managed to collect, it looked like a formidible army. But it wouldn't be enough.

Line Break

Qrow's POV

"What now?" Weiss asked, "We're back where we started."

"Not quite, Weiss. We caught a very lucky break in Atlas." I replied, "For instance, we know that Ruby's working for Cinder, an influential member in the criminal underworld. Now, Cinder's called the "Queen" of Vale. And I even know where they are."

"Then let's go!" Yang said somewhat loudly, "Where is she?"

I chuckled, "Not so fast, niece. Cinder very likely has an army of criminals and White Fang members at her disposal, which means we're gonna need some help."

With that, I pulled out my scroll and called Ironwood. As luck would have it, he picked up, "Qrow?"

"Yes, sir. I need to requisition some of your troops in Vale." I answered, cutting straight to the point.

"Why?"

"We have the location of the "Queen" of Vale. She has managed to unite the criminal factions as well as the White Fang, and likely has an army at her disposal. As this could be a security problem, I would like to deal with it."

"I'm sending orders to the local commander, Brigadier General Haris. He should be on airship two-seven-three. Got it?" Ironwood asked.

"Brigadier General Haris on airship two-seven-three. Got it."

General Ironwood ended the call, so I turned back to the three Huntresses, "I have to get the troops we need. Do whatever until I call you."

They nodded, and I got the feeling they were going to do something incredibly stupid. And I couldn't really stop them. I walked out the door of the hotel we were staying in, and walked over to Beacon. The airship was massive, but most of the space inside was probably taken up by smaller airships. I caught an officer's arm, "I'm looking for Brigadier General Haris."

"He's at the end of that hallway." The officer pointed, then rushed off. I knocked on the door once I got there, and waited.

"Enter." Inside was a man with a perfectly executed military buzz cut and was clean shaven, "Ah, you're the one General Ironwood sent me a message about. How many of my troops do you need?"

"A company, if you can spare it." I replied.

"A company? That's all?" Haris asked incredulously.

"I don't believe I'll need any more."

"No. You probably won't. Most people ask for most of my brigade! Then I have to explain to them how many troops are in a battalion." Haris said.

"Thousands of troops seems a bit too many. Your standard company is still two hundred fifty Knights, right?"

"Yep, along with a supporting number of Paladins." Haris replied, "Still, what d'you need them for?"

"Gotten any rumors of a Queen here?" I asked, and Haris nodded slowly, "She's real. Cinder Fall allied the criminals here and the White Fang. Between the two of them, they probably have about a company of people who can fight."

Haris looked thoughtful, and nodded, "That's about right. Be careful, though: Some military tech went missing after it was produced in Atlas."

"I know. Some of my friends had to fight a Paladin with Roman Torchwick piloting it."

Haris whistled, "Roman, from what we've seen of him, is a good pilot, but your friends were lucky he didn't have long to actually learn it."

"They were." I acknowledged, "Now, I've taken up enough of your time. I'm sure you have things to do."

"Yeah, you always think how easy being a higher-up has to be. Now I realize I was wrong. When you need them, ask for Captain Connors." With that, Haris went back to looking over documents and lists of numbers. I left, then went hunting for the Captain himself.

A few minutes later, I found him, "Captain Connors?"

He was a man with sandy hair and a handle bar mustache, "Yes?"

"I'm Qrow. Did the Brigadier General say anything about me?"

"Let's see." He pulled out his scroll, "Qrow, Qrow, Qrow. Ah, yes. I and my company are at your disposal, should you need us."

"I will. And soon. Thank you for your time, Captain." I turned and left. Outside, I saw a flash of yellow hair swing around a corner, disappearing from view. "Yang, Weiss, Blake, come out."

I heard some whispered conversation, then Yang came from behind a corner, "They aren't with me."

"Oh, then who were you whispering to? A ghost?" I asked wearily.

"Uh, yep!" Yang smiled as Weiss and Blake followed her, "They look pretty ghostly."

"Let's go. We have work to do."

Line Break

Ruby's POV

"Where can we fight, my Queen?" I asked. Cinder was tallying up the numbers. Two-hundred three men and women who could -and would- fight, along with ten Atlesian Paladins. Not a small force, but compared to the thousands of robots on the airship, it was pitiful.

"On the streets. This base couldn't fit two-hundred. Get some of the civilians as shields, throw up barricades, whatever you can do. Just do it quickly." Cinder ordered.

"Of course, my Queen." I turned to walk away, but hesitated, "Can we win this?"

"That depends on how many troops they are sending." Cinder could see this wasn't the answer I wanted, and sighed, "We _can_ win this, Ruby, or we can die trying."

**A/N: I didn't know what ranking system they used, or how many robots/men/women would be under which rank, so I just picked a number I thought was right. A Brigadier General is in charge of about 4,000 troops, and that seemed like a good number. Oh, and Cinder isn't really the self-less sacrificing kind of women, you all know that.**

**Please review, follow, favorite, whatever. No pressure, except for the review part. I really want your feedback.**


	20. Chapter 20- The End or a Beginning?

**A/N: That's it. I've run completely out of ideas for what to do. Check out the poll, if any of you care, it's on my profile.**

Disclaimer: Screw it, you all know what this says.

Chapter 20- The End or a Beginning?

Ruby's POV

"We estimate a company, my Queen." Cinder and I were standing on top of our hideout, behind some sandbags and other improvised defenses.

"A company. We are outnumbered." Cinder stated calmly.

"And outgunned. Their Knights are better fighters then our forces, my Queen, not to mention they have twenty Paladins to our ten." It sounded so simple, so sanitized when you talk about war as just numbers. It seemed so easy to play with the lives of dozens of people.

"Have they seen us?" Cinder asked.

"Not yet, my Queen. Roman and Adam are pulling their men into the street the robots are coming down."

"Good. Spring the first trap on my mark." Cinder waited for a few seconds as the Knights and Paladins drew closer, "Mark."

The street and the sides of the buildings on either side of it exploded inwards. Earlier, Adam's men and woman had planted dozens of Dust crystals all around the street. Red Dust in the street itself flew upwards, melting the feet of a few Knights but mainly making the rest of them stumble. Then brown Dust, or earth Dust, detonated. Rocks fell from the buildings, along with the walls themselves, and crushed some more Knights. As spectacular as it was, only a dozen Knights were actually disabled.

"Hit them." Cinder ordered. In the street ahead of the Knights, our people opened fire, while others came out of the building with swords and axes. The Knights returned fire, most of their shots hitting the makeshift cover we had thrown up.

I could see those using melee weapons die as dozens of shots overwhelmed their Auras and penetrated.

"Now for the second surprise." Cinder continued calmly, "Now!"

All around the attacking force, posted on top of the two- or one-story buildings were the Atlesian Paladins. Covered until now, they opened fire on the Knights below. It caused chaos for almost a minute, destroying dozens more Knights, then their own Paladins shot back.

It became a slug-fest, albeit an awesome-looking one. Shots and missiles came out of Paladins from both sides and slammed into each other. Meanwhile, the Knights, with a few less then two-hundred still fighting, were tramping forward, firing at anyone who showed their face. We were taking losses as the Knights got closer and could shoot with more accuracy. Now, out of the one-fifty men and women we started with, we maybe had seventy-five left. Our Paladins were all heavily damaged, but five or more of theirs were smoking wrecks.

Now the Knights were only a few meters away from our barricades.

"Fall back. Get everyone back!" Cinder growled, "Detonate when they are all out."

Behind the first line of cover, men and women were streaming back to the second line. The first one, as Knights started pushing their way through, went up in a cloud of smoke as the red Dust they were laced with exploded. The Knights lost another dozen, along with a Paladin that was helping to push through the defenses. But in the few minutes our troops were in the open, we lost at least another twenty-five. We were outnumbered by around four-to-one.

"It looks bad, my Queen. We can't stop them." I said, and Cinder nodded, "Can I -"

"No. I need you here." Cinder cut off my plea to allow me to fight.

Then I started to hear a low humming, that soon grew into a dull roar, then a huge one.

"This isn't good." Cinder said. Behind us, twenty Bullheads were flying low over the rooftops, Paladins hanging from twelve of them. "Enemy reinforcements?"

One of the Bullheads came to a stop right above us, and it's side door opened.

"Nope." I smiled as Roh Morgan and Bran Malin dropped from the Bullhead, rolling as they hit the ground.

"Compliments of my Lord Drakon Yates, Queen Cinder." Malin bowed swiftly, while Morgan just nodded, "Do I have your leave to reinforce those on the ground?"

Cinder laughed, "Go. They need it."

Malin nodded and jumped off the side of the building. Morgan followed, and I saw them just before the hatch closed on the Bullhead they just walked into.

"How many?" Cinder asked.

"Maybe ten men on each Bullhead, so two-hundred?" I replied, "Along with twelve Paladins, my Queen."

"Two hundred fifty against some one hundred seventy-five Knights." Cinder noted.

The Paladins started pounding each other into scrap, pulses of energy crossing over the heads of the fighters on the street. The Knights, seeing reinforcements, moved into buildings or other cover to block the renewed barrage of fire going their way.

Soon, though, those same Knights started lining up shots, and our people started dying again. More slowly, at least. Morgan was at the front, and now I could see why they judged her borderline psycho. She fought with reckless abandon, a large handgun in one hand an a short sword in the other. Morgan would single-handedly move into buildings with Knights in them, while shots dug into the ground around her and bounced off her Aura. Then, she'd come back out a while later, the building cleared.

Malin, on the other hand, did much of the commanding, directing certain groups to concentrate their fire. His Semblance also created walls that were invisible except for a sheen when light hit it. Those barriers were broken down if hit enough, though. We were still losing, the Knights, being mechanically expert shots and moving with flawless teamwork, were pushing us back slowly.

"My Queen, we will not win this fight." I said to Cinder, who was still watching.

"I know. But if I leave now, it will be seen as cowardice. I must leave just before my followers retreat or break and run." Cinder replied calmly.

Then another danger reared it's ugly head. Dozens of Knights with a few Paladins in their ranks were marching down the street. Reinforcements. The Paladins blew away whatever cover our forces were hiding behind, then the Knights opened up. Dozens of our fighters died, torn apart by scores of shots. Other Knights came out of the buildings and joined them.

Men and women were slaughtered by the mechanical onslaught of the Atlesian military. They broke and ran, then were shot in the back as they tried to get away. Morgan and Malin had disappeared, along with Roman and Adam. Neo, Emerald, and Mercury were gone as well, hopefully having gotten away once they realized this was an unwinnable battle.

"We must leave, my Queen." I said, and Cinder nodded.

Then the building rumbled as some kind of explosives went off.

"Follow me." Cinder commanded, turning and going down into our apartment building. I didn't know what she had planned, but Cinder always had a means of escape.

There were some people throughout the building, who Cinder directed to guard the entrances.

"They won't hold the Knights back for long, my Queen."

"They just need to buy us time." Cinder replied, "They have their task."

Their task, apparently, was cut short as two men and two woman burst into the rooms, wielding an assortment of weapons. Huntsmen.

I drew Crescent Rose and lunged at them, knocking aside a halberd and elbowing it's owner in the face. A bolt of fire rushed past me and nailed the second Hunter, leaving the two woman. One raced towards me, slamming her slightly curved sword down on the shaft of my scythe, then swinging a kick at my leg. It was all I could do to block her strikes, all thought of attacking myself on the back of my mind.

Flashes of fire illuminated the background as Cinder fought her own opponent, then the women facing me stiffened, and fell over. Cinder stood behind her, Cinder's own opponent a smoldering heap lying across the room from us.

"There will be more." Cinder stated, "Be on guard."

"Always am, my Queen." This, I kept Crescent Rose in my hand as we quickly walked through the halls of the apartment building that was our base. The next enemies we faced were a group of Atlesian Knights.

Activating my Semblance, I raced forward, cutting into a bunch of wires that were coiled around the robot's "neck". It fell over as I moved on, kicking the metal leg of another Knight. Bullets bounced off my Aura, but not very many. Regular bullets, the ones the Knights were using, weren't very effective at draining Auras.

The hilt of my scythe, with it's spike, was driven through a Knight's chest, then I yanked it out and fired at the last. My lucky shot hit it's waist, destroying something there that apparently controlled it's legs. The Knight toppled as Cinder and I walked past it, moving through rooms until we reached an elevator.

Cinder pressed the basement button, and the elevator started descending, but far too slowly for my taste. Occasionally, the elevator car shook as explosives detonated throughout the building, then shuddered to a stop.

"Thay must have cut the power or something similar, my Queen." I said, "Do you have any idea of how to get out?"

"A few." Cinder replied, then climbed on the handrail of the elevator car, and wrenched open a hatch on the roof. "Up here."

She climbed out, then pulled me up. As luck would have it, there was another door a foot or so above the roof of the car. Grunting, Cinder and I pulled it open, and climbed up into another hallway. "Looks like we'll be using the stairs, my Queen."

Cinder took the lead again, navigating us around the hallways until we reached a room helpfully marked "Stairs".

We walked through, and descended three floors until we were, at last, in the basement.

"Where now, my Queen?" I asked.

Cinder kept going without a word, and I followed her. We met another two groups of five Knights apiece, but they were easily dealt with. I couldn't help but wonder what happened to everyone else. Were they alive still? Dead? Fighting the Knights?

I could hear the pounding of feet in the distance as other people and robots started streaming into the basement, no doubt seeing that those six Knights were no longer functioning. Cinder turned left, into a room with a Bullhead in it, already fueled. Moving quickly, I locked the door, then it shuddered as something slammed into.

"That door won't hold them, my Queen."

"I know." Cinder looked at me, "You said you would die for me, Ruby Rose. I need you to buy me time to get away. Whatever the cost is."

I nodded, cold certainty of a near end flowing into my veins, "Then I will. Get out of here, my Queen. You will rule Vale, but I have to ask something of you: Remember me, remember Morgan and Malin, Emerald and Mercury, Roman and Adam. Everyone who might already be dead, don't froget them. I don't want to be lost to history. If I am, everything I've done will be discounted."

Cinder nodded, "I will never forget you, Reaper. And I will make sure the General dies."

"Thank you, my Queen." I bowed to her one final time, then opened the doors and threw myself out into the passage.

Security people and Huntsmen filled the hallway as I slammed the doors shut behind me. More explosions went off somewhere above my head, making dust fall from the ceiling. My scythe beheaded a man as others surrounded me. I was fighting as hard as I could. Limbs flew off bodies as the ceiling started to crack from more detonations overhead.

Now my Semblance was activated, and I was running everywhere, trying to kill the seemingly endless numbers of security forces and Huntsmen. Long batons forced me back and started draining my Aura, but I heard a Bullhead lift off in the background

My scythe was beaten out of my hands by a huge Asian man in green robes who wielded a massive bronze sword. Yatsuhashi. My hands clawed two knives from my belt as I kept fighting, killing him and flipping backwards from a handbag that was whistling through the air at me. A man wearing a red shirt and black pants kept launching kicks at me, but I cut his Achilles tendon and slit his throat.

All around me, chunks fell out of the ceiling, some knocking down my opponents. I ducked Coco's handbag and stabbed her in the stomach, ripping my knife out afterwards. Velvet kicked me back into the wall, but I sprung off it and buried both knives into her, one in the chest, one in the throat. Then the ceiling rumbled again, and a huge section fell down. I dived out of the way, but not far enough as the concrete hit me, darkness claiming me.

Epiloge:

Ruby's POV

My eyes blinked open, revealing a completely white room. Groaning as pain rippled through my body, I tried to sit up only to discover both my hands and feet were hand-cuffed to the bed. Where am I? Why does everything hurt?

"She's awake." A voice sounded in the room, reverberating in my aching head, "Put her under."

Some clear, colorless liquid flowed through tubes connecting me to machines next to the bed. It took my consciousness away, and left me with one last thought: Who am I?

* * *

The End

**A/N: Sequel?**


End file.
